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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. degree — temperature
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. face — to point toward
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. file — a tool
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. file — a document
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. pop — music
  17. file — a line of people
  18. face — to confront
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. degree — an amount
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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