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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 116 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: pit · chair · mark · rule · degree · rest · firm · face

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. firm — decided
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rest — a break
  9. rule — government
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rest — what's left
  12. firm — steady
  13. mark — a grade
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. firm — a company
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rest — what's left
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. face — to confront
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rule — a law
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rule — to rule out

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