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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. vault — a safe
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. press — to push
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. face — to confront
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wind — moving air
  14. press — a publisher
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wind — moving air
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. press — newspapers
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. face — part of the head

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