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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bore — to drill
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. press — newspapers
  6. degree — from a university
  7. press — to push
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mine — for digging
  10. degree — an amount
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. season — of the year
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. season — in sport
  15. plane — a tool
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. face — part of the head
  21. press — a publisher
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. face — to point toward

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