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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 120 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: tear · cue · degree · pitcher · fork · fall · lean · ruler

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. degree — an amount
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fall — the season
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. cue — a hint

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