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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 120 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: shower · straw · degree · board · mug · ruler · key · game

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. degree — an amount
  3. shower — to wash
  4. key — for a lock
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mug — a face
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. board — a committee
  11. degree — from a university
  12. board — to get on
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — to rob
  15. degree — temperature
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. key — the most important part
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. key — in music
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. board — a flat piece

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