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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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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: present · ruler · jam · degree · pass · rest · roll · cold

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. cold — not warm
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. pass — a permit
  10. degree — an amount
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. rest — a break
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. roll — a list
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — the time now
  20. roll — a cake
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. cold — an illness

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