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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: ruler · mate · club · jam · foot · degree · spring · wave

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. 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. mate — a friend
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. mate — to breed
  7. degree — an amount
  8. club — for golf
  9. spring — of water
  10. club — for dancing
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mate — a partner
  18. foot — a measure
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. club — a group
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. 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