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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · pop · degree · straw · ruler · bowl

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. degree — from a university
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pop — to visit
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. fall — the season
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bowl — a dish

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