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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: bay · ruler · staff · court · degree · tear · squash · pop

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. pop — soda
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. squash — the sport
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. degree — from a university
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. squash — to crush
  17. tear — from crying
  18. degree — an amount
  19. court — of a king
  20. staff — employees
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pop — music
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. staff — employees

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