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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. club — for golf
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. press — a publisher
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. bore — to drill
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bore — to tire
  15. tear — from crying
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. land — to come down
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fall — to drop
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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