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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. press — newspapers
  6. plane — a tool
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. press — to push
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cold — an illness
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. roll — a list
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cold — not warm
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. date — the fruit
  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