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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: ruler · sharp · patient · rule · degree · lash · lean · pit

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pit — a hole
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pit — in a race
  13. lean — thin
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. degree — from a university
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rule — a law
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rule — government
  24. degree — temperature

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