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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 120 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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pop — music
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. race — humankind
  8. degree — an amount
  9. race — a contest
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. pop — soda
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. squash — the sport
  14. degree — from a university
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pop — to visit
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bore — to drill
  24. squash — to crush

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