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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: mine · ruler · swing · mouse · chest · roll · land · degree

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. degree — temperature
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. swing — music
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. degree — an amount
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. land — to come down
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. chest — of your body
  20. degree — from a university
  21. roll — a cake
  22. land — a country
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. roll — a list

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