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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · fall · band · face · ruler · rule

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. rule — a law
  3. band — a music group
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. band — a ring
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rule — government
  13. fall — the season
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. fall — to drop
  18. degree — from a university

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