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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. stem — to come from
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. clip — to cut
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. clip — for paper
  10. press — a publisher
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. face — to point toward
  15. march — the month
  16. pitch — completely
  17. firm — decided
  18. press — to push
  19. face — part of the head
  20. clip — a video
  21. press — newspapers
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. stem — of a plant

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