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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. press — a publisher
  6. roll — a cake
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. press — newspapers
  9. face — part of the head
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. lie — to recline
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. press — to push
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. face — to confront
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. roll — a list
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fan — a supporter

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