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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. press — to push
  3. chest — a box
  4. face — to point toward
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. press — a publisher
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fall — the season
  11. date — the fruit
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fall — to drop
  18. press — newspapers
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. face — to confront
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. date — on the calendar

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