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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. degree — temperature
  6. staff — a stick
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fork — in a road
  12. staff — employees
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. staff — employees
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. row — to paddle
  24. patient — a sick person

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