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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rule — government
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. face — to point toward
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. date — the fruit
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. face — to confront
  14. scale — in music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. degree — an amount
  17. scale — size or range
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — a law
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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