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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. face — part of the head
  5. rest — a break
  6. tear — from crying
  7. press — to push
  8. chest — a box
  9. field — a subject
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. press — a publisher
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. face — to confront
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. face — to point toward
  24. chest — of your body

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