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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rule — government
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. face — part of the head
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. face — to point toward
  14. degree — temperature
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. face — to confront
  17. rule — a law
  18. degree — an amount

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