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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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468
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: degree · stand · straw · rash · ruler · game · squash · lie

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. degree — from a university
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. lie — to recline
  5. game — a match
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rash — hasty
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rash — a series
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. squash — to crush

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