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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: rule · wave · degree · face · present · mark · straw · bowl

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. present — there
  4. rule — government
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. degree — an amount
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — a gift
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rule — a law
  19. degree — from a university
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bowl — a dish

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