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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. key — in music
  3. pit — in a race
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. press — a publisher
  7. face — to confront
  8. press — to push
  9. key — for a lock
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. face — to point toward
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. key — the most important part
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. press — newspapers

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