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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 · net · calf · file · degree · dip · chair · shower

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. shower — to wash
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. net — after costs
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. file — a document
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. degree — from a university
  12. dip — to sink
  13. file — a tool
  14. net — for catching
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. net — in sport
  17. chair — a leader
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. file — a line of people
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. shower — rain
  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