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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. press — newspapers
  7. craft — boats
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. press — a publisher
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bound — certain
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. face — to confront
  15. bound — tied together
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chest — of your body
  18. date — the fruit
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bound — obliged
  21. press — to push
  22. craft — a skill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. date — on the calendar

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