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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 116 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bound — certain
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bound — obliged
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pit — in a race
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. ball — a great time
  24. degree — from a university

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