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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: cabinet · face · last · degree · root · bowl · ruler · mate

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mate — a partner
  7. face — to confront
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. degree — temperature
  12. face — part of the head
  13. root — the cause
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mate — a friend
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mate — to breed
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. root — of a word
  24. bowl — to roll

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