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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. land — to come down
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. mine — for digging
  11. squash — the sport
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wound — an injury
  14. land — ground
  15. press — newspapers
  16. toast — bread
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. can — a tin
  23. land — a country
  24. press — to push

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