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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. wound — an injury
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fall — to drop
  9. track — to keep track
  10. face — to confront
  11. fall — the season
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ground — the earth
  14. track — a path
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ground — crushed
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. ground — a position
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. track — a song
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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