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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. press — a publisher
  7. ground — crushed
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. ground — the earth
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mark — a trace
  13. dip — to sink
  14. hand — in cards
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — help
  19. ground — a position
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. face — to point toward
  23. mark — a grade
  24. face — to confront

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