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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 120 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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. spring — the season
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — a contest
  7. net — in sport
  8. race — humankind
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. net — after costs
  13. degree — from a university
  14. spring — a coil
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spring — of water
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. net — for catching
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. ruler — for measuring

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