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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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468
Word bank
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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. game — a match
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. degree — an amount
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. tear — to rip
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. game — wild animals
  20. track — to keep track
  21. race — humankind
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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