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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: ruler · safe · board · shower · wind · degree · saw · suit

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. board — a committee
  5. suit — in cards
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wind — moving air
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wind — moving air
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. saw — the tool
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. board — to get on
  19. suit — clothes
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. suit — to fit
  23. saw — the tool
  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