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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: ball · degree · ruler · rash · racket · stand · land · wake

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. land — a country
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. land — ground
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. land — to come down
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. degree — temperature
  11. ball — a dance
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ball — a great time
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rash — a series
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. stand — for spectators

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