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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pass — a permit
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. march — music
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. spring — of water
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. press — to push
  13. spring — the season
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. row — to paddle
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. row — a line

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