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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. drill — army training
  4. press — to push
  5. fine — high quality
  6. drill — a practice
  7. key — the most important part
  8. face — to point toward
  9. wind — moving air
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. vault — a safe
  13. press — a publisher
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rule — a law
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rule — government
  20. key — for a lock
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. key — in music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fine — all right

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