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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: racket · degree · ruler · sharp · ball · press · deal · toast

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. degree — an amount
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ball — a dance
  8. press — to push
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. toast — bread
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. sharp — clever
  13. degree — from a university
  14. press — newspapers
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. press — a publisher
  17. degree — temperature
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. deal — to handle
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. toast — the most admired

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