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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: ruler · rock · pit · degree · cue · saw · mine · bat

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. cue — for pool
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bat — the animal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rock — a stone
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rock — music
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mine — for digging
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cue — a hint
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cue — a signal
  24. saw — the tool

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