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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. band — a ring
  3. wound — an injury
  4. band — a music group
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. swing — in golf
  8. press — to push
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spell — a short time
  13. press — a publisher
  14. spell — magic
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. swing — music
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. spell — letters
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lie — to recline
  24. press — newspapers

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