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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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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: stem · rule · ball · vault · face · degree · lie · straw

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — to come from
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. degree — from a university
  9. vault — a safe
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. degree — an amount
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. rule — government
  15. lie — to recline
  16. rule — a law
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. ball — a dance
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. straw — dry grass

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