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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. ground — a position
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. ground — crushed
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wax — to grow

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