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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: degree · kid · ruler · chair · ball · stick · kick · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. degree — an amount
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chair — a leader
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. kid — child
  20. ball — a dance
  21. kick — in football
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. degree — temperature
  24. cold — an illness

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