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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. press — a publisher
  3. row — a line
  4. cap — of ice
  5. scale — in music
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. scale — size or range
  13. press — newspapers
  14. band — a music group
  15. squash — to crush
  16. band — a ring
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. press — to push
  21. bank — for money
  22. face — to confront
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. face — to point toward

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