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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. field — farmland
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. present — the time now
  5. face — part of the head
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. present — there
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. field — for sport
  15. dip — to sink
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. present — a gift
  21. field — a subject
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. dip — a sauce

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