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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · pitcher · bay · game · ruler · degree · face · band

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. face — part of the head
  6. band — a music group
  7. ball — a great time
  8. face — to confront
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. band — a ring
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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