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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. last — final
  3. press — newspapers
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. face — to point toward
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. face — to confront
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. hand — help
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. face — part of the head
  16. deal — to handle
  17. hand — in cards
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. last — to go on
  20. rule — government
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. rule — a law
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. last — finally

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