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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 · game · racket · nail · straw · degree · foot · toast

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. degree — an amount
  7. foot — a measure
  8. degree — from a university
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. degree — temperature
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. toast — bread

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