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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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Word bank
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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: pop · dip · degree · saw · pound · face · rule · chest

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. 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. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. chest — of your body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pop — soda
  8. dip — to sink
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chest — a box
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pop — music
  17. rule — a law
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rule — government
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pound — a weight
  24. 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