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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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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 · court · pitch · cap · branch · degree · bore · squash

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. degree — from a university
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bore — to drill
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. squash — the sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. degree — temperature
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. court — of law
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. degree — an amount
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. court — for sport
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. bore — to tire

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