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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fall — the season
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. fall — to drop
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cap — a hat
  11. face — part of the head
  12. net — in sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. press — to push
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cap — a lid
  19. net — for catching
  20. bear — the animal
  21. face — to point toward
  22. net — after costs
  23. fall — to drop
  24. face — to confront

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