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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 120 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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. ground — a position
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cue — a signal
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mate — to breed
  7. press — to push
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mate — a partner
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. spring — the season
  16. file — a document
  17. ground — crushed
  18. spring — of water
  19. mate — a friend
  20. file — a tool
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. spring — a coil
  24. ground — the earth

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