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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: roll · degree · ruler · bear · rash · pit · shower · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. pit — in a race
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. roll — a list
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rash — a series
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. degree — from a university
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cold — not warm
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bear — the animal
  23. shower — rain
  24. 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