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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: stick · drill · ruler · march · rash · degree · mouse · clip

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. drill — army training
  6. rash — a series
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. drill — the tool
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. degree — an amount
  11. clip — to cut
  12. degree — temperature
  13. march — music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. march — the month
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. march — the month
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rash — hasty

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