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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wound — an injury
  3. face — to point toward
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. press — a publisher
  6. shower — to wash
  7. press — newspapers
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. press — to push
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rule — a law
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rule — government
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. shower — rain
  24. wound — an injury

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