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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · face · leaves · rule · squash · march · dip · staff

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. staff — employees
  4. march — the month
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. squash — to crush
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rule — government
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. staff — employees
  12. face — part of the head
  13. squash — the sport
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rule — a law
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. face — to point toward
  20. staff — a stick
  21. march — the month
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. march — music

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