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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 124 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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rule — a law
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cold — not warm
  9. degree — temperature
  10. roll — a list
  11. bore — to drill
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. rule — government
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cold — an illness
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bore — to tire
  24. degree — an amount

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