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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 116 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rest — what's left
  3. face — to point toward
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. press — a publisher
  14. rest — a break
  15. mine — for digging
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. press — to push
  19. rest — what's left
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. face — to confront

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