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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: wax · degree · rest · cell · ruler · toast · current · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rest — a break
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. current — of water
  13. rest — what's left
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. current — happening now
  17. cell — in biology
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bat — the animal
  20. current — electric
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cell — a phone
  23. toast — bread
  24. ruler — for measuring

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