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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: ball · perch · degree · fine · ruler · hand · current · spell

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ball — a dance
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. fine — all right
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. degree — temperature
  10. ball — a great time
  11. hand — help
  12. current — happening now
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. degree — from a university
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. spell — a short time
  17. degree — an amount
  18. hand — in cards
  19. current — of water
  20. spell — letters
  21. fine — high quality
  22. current — electric
  23. spell — magic
  24. perch — the fish

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