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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. band — a music group
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. degree — temperature
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. degree — an amount
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. band — a ring
  24. trunk — of a tree

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