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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. last — final
  3. pit — a hole
  4. land — to come down
  5. face — to confront
  6. rush — hurry
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. land — ground
  9. last — finally
  10. land — a country
  11. pit — in a race
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bear — the animal
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bear — the animal
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. last — to go on

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