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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: degree · ruler · pitch · court · drill · cabinet · charge · fork

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. degree — from a university
  4. drill — the tool
  5. charge — electricity
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. court — for sport
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. charge — a price
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. charge — in control
  23. fork — in a road
  24. degree — temperature

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