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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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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 · row · bay · tear · bat · net · rest

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. degree — an amount
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rest — what's left
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rest — a break
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. tear — from crying
  15. row — a line
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. degree — from a university
  18. net — in sport
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. tear — from crying
  21. net — after costs
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. net — for catching
  24. ruler — a monarch

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