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

Word bank: stand · drill · cold · ruler · degree · fall

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fall — the season
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. degree — an amount
  7. drill — the tool
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. fall — to drop
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. drill — army training
  15. cold — not warm
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. drill — a practice
  18. stand — to bear

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