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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. march — music
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. press — a publisher
  7. object — a thing
  8. march — the month
  9. press — newspapers
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. spring — the season
  12. press — to push
  13. march — the month
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. face — to point toward
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. object — to protest
  19. rush — hurry
  20. season — in sport
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. season — of the year
  23. face — to confront
  24. object — an aim

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