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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: bore · degree · scale · hand · ruler · ground · sharp · hide

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ground — a position
  7. degree — temperature
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. degree — an amount
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. ground — crushed
  22. degree — from a university
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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