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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. firm — steady
  8. press — to push
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. fall — to drop
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fall — the season
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. face — to confront
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. press — newspapers
  18. face — to point toward
  19. firm — decided
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. toast — bread
  23. firm — a company
  24. fall — to drop

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