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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. cap — a lid
  3. present — the time now
  4. degree — from a university
  5. chest — a box
  6. key — for a lock
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cold — an illness
  11. degree — an amount
  12. present — there
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. key — the most important part
  16. degree — temperature
  17. cap — of ice
  18. plane — a tool
  19. key — in music
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cold — not warm
  24. present — a gift

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