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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: kick · game · band · stick · sharp · file · degree · ruler

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. game — a match
  5. degree — temperature
  6. band — a music group
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. game — wild animals
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. degree — from a university
  14. file — a line of people
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. degree — an amount
  18. band — a ring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. file — a document
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. file — a tool
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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