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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: row · shower · field · mate · degree · ruler

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mate — a partner
  7. degree — from a university
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. mate — to breed
  11. shower — to wash
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. shower — rain
  14. row — a line
  15. degree — an amount
  16. field — a subject
  17. mate — a friend
  18. 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