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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. mug — to rob
  4. scale — size or range
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. board — to get on
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fall — to drop
  12. board — a committee
  13. mug — a cup
  14. band — a music group
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. fall — the season
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mug — a face
  20. scale — in music
  21. fall — to drop
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. board — a flat piece

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