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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. squash — the sport
  6. scale — in music
  7. row — to paddle
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. press — newspapers
  11. content — the amount
  12. scale — size or range
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. content — happy
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. squash — to crush
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. press — a publisher
  22. lean — to bend
  23. press — to push
  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