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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. face — part of the head
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. press — a publisher
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. spell — magic
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bass — the fish
  16. spell — letters
  17. snap — to click
  18. spring — of water
  19. spell — a short time
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bass — low music
  22. press — to push
  23. face — to point toward
  24. lie — to recline

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