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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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 point toward
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pitch — completely
  4. branch — a division
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. face — part of the head
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. chair — a leader
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. game — wild animals
  13. press — a publisher
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. game — a match
  18. face — to confront
  19. kick — in football
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. press — to push
  23. branch — of a bank
  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