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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: game · drill · bank · bat · ball · degree · sharp · ruler

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ball — a dance
  3. game — a match
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bank — for money
  6. drill — a practice
  7. game — wild animals
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bank — for money
  10. ball — a great time
  11. drill — army training
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bat — the animal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. degree — from a university
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. degree — an amount
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bank — of a river

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