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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 124 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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. land — ground
  4. press — a publisher
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bank — for money
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. press — newspapers
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cold — not warm
  15. land — to come down
  16. bank — for money
  17. scale — in music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. face — to confront
  20. press — to push
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bank — of a river
  23. land — a country
  24. scale — size or range

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