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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. deal — to handle
  10. face — to point toward
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. press — a publisher
  13. face — part of the head
  14. press — to push
  15. face — to confront
  16. press — newspapers
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. straw — dry grass

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