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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. last — finally
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. last — to go on
  9. degree — an amount
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. last — final
  13. object — a thing
  14. file — a document
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. object — to protest
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. degree — from a university
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. object — an aim
  24. degree — temperature

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