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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. rush — hurry
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. degree — from a university
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. row — a line
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. hand — help
  21. foot — a measure
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bowl — to roll

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