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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: cue · ruler · march · degree · land · fan · can · pop

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. march — the month
  3. pop — to visit
  4. degree — from a university
  5. can — to be able to
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. march — the month
  11. degree — an amount
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. cue — for pool
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. land — a country
  17. cue — a hint
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. can — a tin
  20. cue — a signal
  21. march — music
  22. can — a tin
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — temperature

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