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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: ruler · degree · mouse · spell · ball · fork · pitch · bank

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bank — for money
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. spell — magic
  14. ball — a dance
  15. fork — in a road
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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