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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cue — a hint
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cue — for pool
  7. field — for sport
  8. game — a match
  9. tear — to rip
  10. field — a subject
  11. season — of the year
  12. press — to push
  13. tear — from crying
  14. field — farmland
  15. press — newspapers
  16. game — wild animals
  17. press — a publisher
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. cue — a signal
  23. season — in sport
  24. face — to confront

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