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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: fine · bat · saw · ruler · wind · face · pass · degree

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. wind — moving air
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. face — to point toward
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. degree — an amount
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wind — moving air
  21. face — to confront
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bat — in an idiom

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