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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. net — for catching
  3. game — a match
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. net — in sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. degree — temperature
  8. shower — rain
  9. bass — low music
  10. last — to go on
  11. degree — from a university
  12. shower — to wash
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bass — the fish
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. net — after costs
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. game — wild animals
  22. last — finally
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. last — final

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