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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: wind · face · degree · ruler · bear · mark · ball · march

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. degree — from a university
  8. face — part of the head
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. face — to confront
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. face — to point toward
  16. march — the month
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ball — a great time
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wind — moving air
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ball — a dance

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