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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. last — final
  6. spell — a short time
  7. face — to point toward
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wax — to grow
  10. last — to go on
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. face — to confront
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. rule — government
  18. present — the time now
  19. spell — magic
  20. present — there
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. spell — letters
  23. face — part of the head
  24. present — a gift

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