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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. press — a publisher
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. face — part of the head
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mine — for digging
  13. press — newspapers
  14. charge — a price
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. press — to push
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. file — a line of people
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. face — to point toward
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — electricity
  23. lie — to recline
  24. pound — a weight

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