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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. face — to point toward
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — in football
  5. club — for golf
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cell — a phone
  10. press — to push
  11. press — newspapers
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. club — a group
  15. face — to confront
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. cell — in biology
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. press — a publisher
  22. clip — to cut
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. club — for dancing

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