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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bear — the animal
  3. face — to confront
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. press — to push
  6. game — a match
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wake — a trail
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cell — a phone
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. press — a publisher

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