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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. last — to go on
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. face — part of the head
  5. key — in music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. press — newspapers
  12. dip — to sink
  13. press — a publisher
  14. last — final
  15. key — for a lock
  16. press — to push
  17. field — farmland
  18. last — finally
  19. field — for sport
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. field — a subject
  24. key — the most important part

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