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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: club · last · degree · craft · cap · ruler · pop · wake

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. cap — a hat
  4. last — final
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pop — soda
  8. degree — an amount
  9. craft — boats
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cap — a lid
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pop — music
  14. club — for golf
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. cap — of ice
  17. degree — temperature
  18. last — to go on
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. last — finally
  22. club — a group
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. degree — from a university

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