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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 116 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. current — of water
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. current — electric
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. current — happening now
  8. face — to confront
  9. press — to push
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. key — the most important part
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. key — in music
  21. lie — to recline
  22. face — to point toward
  23. press — a publisher
  24. face — part of the head

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