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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 116 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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. row — a line
  4. degree — an amount
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bank — of a river
  8. degree — from a university
  9. scale — in music
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bank — for money
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. staff — employees
  16. row — to paddle
  17. degree — temperature
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. drill — army training
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. sharp — clever
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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