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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. face — to confront
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bat — the animal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. snap — to click
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. face — part of the head

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