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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · fan · toast · calf · sharp · press · degree · ruler

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. press — to push
  4. degree — an amount
  5. court — for sport
  6. degree — from a university
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. court — of a king
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. court — of law
  14. sharp — clever
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. degree — temperature
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. toast — bread
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. press — a publisher

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