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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. shower — rain
  8. degree — from a university
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. shower — to wash
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pass — a permit
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. tube — a container
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — with a leg
  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