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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. firm — decided
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. face — to point toward
  11. staff — employees
  12. face — to confront
  13. bat — the animal
  14. press — newspapers
  15. lean — to bend
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. firm — a company
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. staff — employees
  20. firm — steady
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. staff — a stick
  24. lean — thin

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