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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. last — finally
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bound — obliged
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wake — a trail
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bank — for money
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. degree — temperature
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. last — to go on
  20. bound — certain
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bank — for money
  23. bound — tied together
  24. last — final

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