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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: club · kick · pitcher · bear · degree · can · ruler · stick

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. degree — an amount
  3. can — a tin
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. club — for golf
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. kick — in football
  17. club — for dancing
  18. can — to be able to
  19. degree — temperature
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. club — a group
  23. bear — the animal
  24. kick — with a leg

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