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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: rash · pit · last · stock · ruler · club · degree · shower

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. degree — temperature
  5. stock — shares
  6. club — for golf
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. last — final
  9. pit — in a race
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stock — goods
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pit — a hole
  15. last — to go on
  16. club — a group
  17. rash — hasty
  18. club — for dancing
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. degree — an amount
  24. last — finally

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