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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 120 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cap — a hat
  3. press — a publisher
  4. face — part of the head
  5. chest — of your body
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. face — to confront
  8. chest — a box
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. press — to push
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cap — of ice
  14. lie — to recline
  15. face — to point toward
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rest — a break
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mouse — for a computer

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