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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cold · object · ruler · perch · mine · hand

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bore — to drill
  12. hand — in cards
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mine — for digging
  17. object — to protest
  18. bore — to tire
  19. object — a thing
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cold — an illness
  22. hand — help
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mine — an explosive

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