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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bore — to drill
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. roll — a list
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. press — to push
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. roll — a cake
  16. clip — for paper
  17. face — to confront
  18. press — newspapers
  19. clip — to cut
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. clip — a video

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