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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cell — a phone
  13. sharp — clever
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. degree — an amount
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cell — in biology
  23. fine — high quality
  24. ruler — for measuring

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