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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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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: ruler · mate · pit · lie · club · rush · degree · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. club — for dancing
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. club — for golf
  8. pit — in a race
  9. mate — a friend
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wind — moving air
  14. club — a group
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mate — a partner
  17. degree — from a university
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mate — to breed
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wind — moving air

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