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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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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: saw · mark · court · pound · clip · mug · ruler · degree

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. mark — a grade
  3. court — of a king
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. degree — an amount
  7. court — of law
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. court — for sport
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mug — a face
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pound — a weight
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. clip — a video

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