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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 124 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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. craft — boats
  3. press — a publisher
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. cell — a phone
  6. ground — the earth
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. face — part of the head
  9. ground — a position
  10. face — to confront
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rush — hurry
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. ground — crushed
  24. craft — a skill

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