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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pound — a weight
  4. spell — letters
  5. rest — a break
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. fine — high quality
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. face — to confront
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fine — all right
  18. face — part of the head
  19. spell — a short time
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. press — to push
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — to handle

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