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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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Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. present — a gift
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. present — the time now
  7. degree — an amount
  8. game — wild animals
  9. degree — from a university
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. rash — hasty
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. degree — temperature
  19. present — there
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rash — a series
  24. wind — moving air

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