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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: bat · degree · wind · racket · bear · ruler

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wind — moving air

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