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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: bass · row · ruler · ground · rock · degree · cell · fine

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. degree — temperature
  3. ground — a position
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fine — all right
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bass — low music
  12. row — a line
  13. rock — music
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — an amount
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rock — a stone
  23. ground — crushed
  24. row — to paddle

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