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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. land — ground
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. chair — a leader
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. squash — the sport
  8. degree — from a university
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rush — hurry
  12. swing — in golf
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pit — in a race
  15. degree — an amount
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. land — to come down
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. land — a country
  21. swing — music
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pit — a hole

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