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

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. press — to push
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mate — a partner
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. face — to point toward
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. face — to confront
  16. press — a publisher
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut

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