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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. press — newspapers
  5. spring — the season
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. press — a publisher
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. press — to push
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. face — to confront
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chest — of your body
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. face — to point toward
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bore — to drill
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bore — to tire
  21. spring — a coil
  22. face — part of the head
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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