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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. face — to point toward
  5. press — newspapers
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. land — ground
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pop — music
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. press — to push
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. land — to come down
  18. pop — soda
  19. press — a publisher
  20. face — to confront
  21. land — a country
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pop — to visit

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