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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. face — to confront
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. deal — to handle
  5. last — to go on
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. face — part of the head
  9. press — a publisher
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. prune — to trim
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. face — to point toward
  16. foot — a measure
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  24. kick — in football

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