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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bulb — for light
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. kick — in football
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. face — part of the head
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cell — in biology
  9. press — a publisher
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. press — to push
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. suit — in cards
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. cell — a phone
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bulb — for light
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. suit — to fit
  22. press — newspapers
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bulb — of a plant

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