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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. present — there
  3. land — a country
  4. press — to push
  5. fall — to drop
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. present — a gift
  8. key — in music
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. land — to come down
  11. fall — the season
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. press — newspapers
  16. present — the time now
  17. saw — the tool
  18. land — ground
  19. key — for a lock
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. key — the most important part
  22. face — to confront
  23. saw — the tool
  24. press — a publisher

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