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

Word bank: band · leaves · degree · wind · key · rule · ground · face

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. ground — the earth
  3. face — to confront
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ground — crushed
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. degree — temperature
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rule — government
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. band — a music group
  12. wind — moving air
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. key — for a lock
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. ground — a position
  19. key — the most important part
  20. face — part of the head
  21. band — a ring
  22. degree — an amount
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. key — in music

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