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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. press — a publisher
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. hand — help
  6. present — a gift
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hand — in cards
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. present — the time now
  13. rule — government
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. kick — in football
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wax — to grow
  22. press — to push
  23. present — there
  24. wax — in the ear

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