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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 116 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: mine · degree · ruler · lean · coach · chair · ball · current

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. current — happening now
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lean — thin
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. lean — to bend
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. current — of water
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. degree — an amount
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. current — electric

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