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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: club · ruler · lash · rule · degree · sharp

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. club — a group
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. club — for golf
  9. rule — government
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rule — a law
  13. sharp — clever
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. club — for dancing
  18. 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