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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. degree — temperature
  8. face — to point toward
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. capital — a city
  12. rock — music
  13. current — electric
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. degree — an amount
  16. face — part of the head
  17. current — of water
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rock — a stone
  22. current — happening now
  23. capital — money
  24. mouse — for a computer

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