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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. march — the month
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. shower — rain
  6. degree — from a university
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pitch — completely
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. degree — temperature
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. rest — what's left
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. press — newspapers
  23. squash — to crush
  24. degree — an amount

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