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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · pop · row · face · tear · degree · bound · mark

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mark — a grade
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rule — government
  8. pop — music
  9. bound — certain
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. degree — an amount
  13. row — to paddle
  14. degree — from a university
  15. tear — from crying
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bound — tied together
  20. pop — soda
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. row — a line
  24. tear — from crying

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