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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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Word bank
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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. face — to confront
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. press — newspapers
  6. face — part of the head
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. face — to point toward
  13. scale — in music
  14. press — to push
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. spell — magic
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. wind — moving air
  20. press — a publisher
  21. scale — size or range
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  24. drill — the tool

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