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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. face — part of the head
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. face — to point toward
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. field — for sport
  13. press — newspapers
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. face — to confront
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. fall — the season

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