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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. land — to come down
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. press — a publisher
  5. face — to confront
  6. press — to push
  7. last — to go on
  8. key — in music
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. key — the most important part
  12. last — final
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. key — for a lock
  17. press — newspapers
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. last — finally
  20. bore — to tire
  21. land — a country
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. land — ground

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