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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: march · bark · face · key · rule · firm · degree · bear

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. march — the month
  4. firm — decided
  5. march — the month
  6. key — in music
  7. face — to confront
  8. firm — a company
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bear — the animal
  11. firm — steady
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rule — government
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rule — a law
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. degree — temperature
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — the most important part

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