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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. ball — a great time
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. present — there
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. press — newspapers
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. object — to protest
  11. press — to push
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — an aim
  14. press — a publisher
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. shower — rain
  17. chair — a leader
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. face — to point toward
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. ball — a dance
  24. present — the time now

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