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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. press — to push
  3. land — to come down
  4. press — a publisher
  5. wake — a trail
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bore — to drill
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bore — to tire
  10. land — a country
  11. hand — help
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. chip — to eat
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. chip — for betting
  16. face — part of the head
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. land — ground
  23. kick — in football
  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