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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. root — of a plant
  7. press — to push
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. face — to point toward
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. press — newspapers
  12. face — to confront
  13. press — a publisher
  14. rest — what's left
  15. face — part of the head
  16. root — the cause
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. root — of a word
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rest — a break

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