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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: degree · toast · ruler · nail · row · ground · chair · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. degree — an amount
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. ground — a position
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. row — a line
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. row — to paddle
  22. degree — from a university
  23. wound — an injury
  24. nail — for a hammer

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