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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: rock · lie · ruler · fall · degree · ground · face · staff

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ground — a position
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. staff — a stick
  11. rock — music
  12. face — to confront
  13. lie — to recline
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. ground — the earth
  17. face — part of the head
  18. ground — crushed
  19. staff — employees
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. staff — employees
  22. face — to point toward
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rock — a stone

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