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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spring — a coil
  4. staff — employees
  5. face — to confront
  6. press — to push
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. face — to point toward
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. press — newspapers
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. field — for sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. field — farmland
  16. bore — to drill
  17. field — a subject
  18. staff — a stick
  19. press — a publisher
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. sharp — clever
  24. staff — employees

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