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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — for sport
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. current — of water
  7. spell — a short time
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. spell — letters
  11. current — happening now
  12. press — newspapers
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. court — of a king
  15. deal — to handle
  16. current — electric
  17. band — a ring
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. band — a music group
  20. face — to point toward
  21. spell — magic
  22. court — of law
  23. face — part of the head
  24. deal — a big deal

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