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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 124 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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. scale — size or range
  3. press — to push
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. foot — a measure
  6. swing — music
  7. scale — in music
  8. wind — moving air
  9. press — a publisher
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. swing — in golf
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. press — newspapers
  18. face — to confront
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wind — moving air
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. swing — to play on
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. face — to point toward

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