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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. sharp — clever
  4. land — a country
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. press — to push
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. lie — to recline
  10. spell — letters
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. spell — magic
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. press — newspapers
  19. land — ground
  20. present — the time now
  21. land — to come down
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. spell — a short time
  24. press — a publisher

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