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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. lean — thin
  4. last — finally
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. kid — child
  7. lean — to bend
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pit — in a race
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. last — final
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. kid — to tease
  19. last — to go on
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. row — a line
  23. degree — from a university
  24. row — to paddle

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