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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. degree — temperature
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. chair — a leader
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. squash — to crush
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. degree — from a university
  20. shower — to wash
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wave — with your hand

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