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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: rule · tube · deal · face · ruler · rash · degree · kid

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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 — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. face — to confront
  6. rule — a law
  7. tube — a container
  8. deal — to handle
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. kid — child
  12. degree — an amount
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rule — government
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. rash — hasty
  20. kid — to tease
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. tube — in a tire
  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