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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 116 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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. staff — employees
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. face — part of the head
  6. stock — goods
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. staff — a stick
  10. mark — a trace
  11. land — to come down
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stock — shares
  15. mark — a grade
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. land — a country
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. land — ground
  23. staff — employees
  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