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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. face — part of the head
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. field — a subject
  6. press — to push
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rash — hasty
  9. field — for sport
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. field — farmland
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. pit — a hole
  16. lie — to recline
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. pit — in a race
  19. plane — a tool
  20. press — newspapers
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rash — a series

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