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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. fine — high quality
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bound — certain
  5. toast — bread
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fine — all right
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. key — for a lock
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bound — obliged
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. key — in music
  21. face — to point toward
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. ruler — for measuring

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