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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: rule · net · face · ground · snap · firm · craft · degree

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. firm — steady
  4. net — in sport
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. net — after costs
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ground — crushed
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. degree — an amount
  11. face — to confront
  12. degree — temperature
  13. firm — a company
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. rule — government
  17. degree — from a university
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. snap — to click
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a skill
  23. rule — a law
  24. net — for catching

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