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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: last · can · hand · ruler · row · press · degree · pitcher

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. press — to push
  7. last — final
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. hand — help
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. can — to be able to
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. degree — temperature
  20. press — newspapers
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. press — a publisher
  24. row — a line

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