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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 120 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: face · degree · kid · wax · kick · ruler · mate · net

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. wax — to grow
  3. kid — child
  4. mate — a friend
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mate — a partner
  7. net — in sport
  8. mate — to breed
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kid — to tease
  14. degree — from a university
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. kick — in football
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. face — to confront
  24. degree — temperature

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