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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. press — to push
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. spring — of water
  9. ground — a position
  10. row — to paddle
  11. face — to confront
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. ground — the earth
  17. press — a publisher
  18. spring — the season
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. face — part of the head
  22. press — newspapers
  23. face — to point toward
  24. spring — a coil

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