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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. suit — clothes
  3. face — to confront
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. suit — to fit
  7. net — for catching
  8. press — a publisher
  9. net — in sport
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cold — not warm
  13. chair — a leader
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cold — an illness
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. suit — in cards
  19. press — to push
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. net — after costs
  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