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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. face — to confront
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wound — an injury
  6. press — to push
  7. object — to protest
  8. row — a line
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wound — an injury
  12. row — to paddle
  13. track — to keep track
  14. object — an aim
  15. press — newspapers
  16. face — to point toward
  17. track — a path
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. track — a song
  20. object — a thing
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. face — part of the head
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cabinet — ministers

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