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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: degree · fork · ruler · band · hide · straw · shower · kick

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. fork — in a road
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. shower — rain
  10. band — a ring
  11. shower — to wash
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. degree — an amount
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. kick — in football
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. band — a music group
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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