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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bat — the animal
  3. ground — crushed
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. track — to keep track
  6. press — to push
  7. track — a path
  8. ground — the earth
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. face — part of the head
  13. saw — the tool
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. prune — to trim
  20. saw — the tool
  21. board — a committee
  22. track — a song
  23. face — to confront
  24. ground — a position

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