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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 120 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 · pit · degree · bore · net · lash · pitch · rule

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. net — in sport
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bore — to tire
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rule — government
  9. net — for catching
  10. degree — temperature
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rule — a law
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. net — after costs
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pitch — a sports field

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