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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: racket · kick · degree · present · ruler · wound

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. kick — in football
  2. present — there
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. present — the time now
  6. degree — from a university
  7. present — a gift
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wound — an injury
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wound — an injury
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  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