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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. club — for golf
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bore — to tire
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cap — a hat
  14. club — a group
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bore — to drill
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cap — a lid
  21. craft — boats
  22. degree — temperature
  23. fine — all right
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com