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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. tear — from crying
  3. face — to point toward
  4. court — of law
  5. press — to push
  6. face — to confront
  7. track — to keep track
  8. rash — hasty
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. court — of a king
  11. press — newspapers
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. press — a publisher
  16. court — for sport
  17. rash — a series
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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