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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: rest · scale · snap · ruler · arm · degree · shower · drill

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. degree — temperature
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. rest — a break
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rest — what's left
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rest — what's left
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. drill — the tool
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. drill — a practice
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. drill — army training
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. degree — an amount
  24. scale — size or range

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