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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. key — for a lock
  3. degree — from a university
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. face — part of the head
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rock — a stone
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. rule — government
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rock — music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. key — in music
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rule — a law
  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