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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. face — to confront
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. face — to point toward
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. row — a line
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. tube — a container
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. press — to push
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. tube — the underground
  24. row — to paddle

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