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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: kid · degree · ball · staff · ruler · cap

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. degree — temperature
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. staff — employees
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. cap — of ice
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. staff — employees
  10. cap — a lid
  11. kid — child
  12. staff — a stick
  13. degree — an amount
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cap — a hat
  18. degree — from a university

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