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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. track — a path
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. net — in sport
  10. court — for sport
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. net — for catching
  13. court — of a king
  14. face — to confront
  15. track — a song
  16. band — a ring
  17. press — a publisher
  18. band — a music group
  19. press — newspapers
  20. court — of law
  21. track — to keep track
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. net — after costs
  24. press — to push

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