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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. shower — rain
  3. game — wild animals
  4. face — part of the head
  5. press — to push
  6. staff — employees
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. saw — the tool
  12. game — a match
  13. face — to confront
  14. press — newspapers
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pound — a weight
  17. saw — the tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. staff — employees
  21. shower — to wash
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. press — a publisher
  24. staff — a stick

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