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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. face — part of the head
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. press — a publisher
  6. face — to point toward
  7. press — to push
  8. lean — thin
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lean — to bend
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. face — to confront
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. dip — to sink
  20. press — newspapers
  21. stock — shares
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stock — goods

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