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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. lean — thin
  4. court — of law
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. shower — rain
  12. court — for sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. degree — an amount
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — to wash
  20. court — of a king
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. snap — to click

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