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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. degree — temperature
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. kick — in football
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ruler — a monarch

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