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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. file — a document
  7. spell — a short time
  8. ground — crushed
  9. degree — an amount
  10. staff — employees
  11. ground — a position
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. sharp — clever
  14. spell — letters
  15. file — a line of people
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. spell — magic
  19. file — a tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ground — the earth
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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