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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.

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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 · sharp · wound · mug · degree · snap · court · arm

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mug — to rob
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. sharp — clever
  8. snap — to click
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. court — for sport
  11. degree — temperature
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wound — an injury
  14. degree — from a university
  15. court — of a king
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mug — a face
  18. wound — an injury
  19. court — of law
  20. mug — a cup
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. degree — an amount
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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