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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pit — in a race
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. suit — in cards
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. face — to confront
  14. pit — a hole
  15. suit — to fit
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rash — a series
  20. press — a publisher
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. scale — in music
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. suit — clothes

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