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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. drill — army training
  3. rest — what's left
  4. face — part of the head
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. game — wild animals
  7. drill — a practice
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. kick — in football
  11. drill — the tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. game — a match
  15. rest — a break
  16. face — to point toward
  17. content — happy
  18. press — to push
  19. craft — boats
  20. face — to confront
  21. press — newspapers
  22. content — the amount
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. craft — a skill

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