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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. face — to confront
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bass — low music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. file — a document
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. face — part of the head
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wake — a trail
  14. file — a line of people
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. face — to point toward
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. press — to push
  22. file — a tool
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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