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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 120 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kick — in football
  6. file — a document
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cold — not warm
  9. file — a tool
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. ball — a great time
  12. face — part of the head
  13. file — a line of people
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cold — an illness
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. face — to confront
  19. ball — a dance
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. press — to push
  24. bear — the animal

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