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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rest — a break
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. face — to point toward
  13. press — newspapers
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. present — there
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. present — a gift
  22. bank — of a river
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rest — what's left

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