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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cue — a hint
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. cue — a signal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bank — for money
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mine — for digging
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bulb — for light
  16. date — the fruit
  17. face — to confront
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mine — an explosive

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