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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. last — finally
  11. kick — in football
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. last — final
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. last — to go on
  16. board — to get on
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rash — hasty
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. board — a committee
  23. jam — a tight spot
  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