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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. face — to confront
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. pound — a weight
  8. face — part of the head
  9. press — to push
  10. scale — size or range
  11. face — to point toward
  12. press — a publisher
  13. spring — of water
  14. press — newspapers
  15. spring — the season
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. scale — in music
  24. pound — to hit hard

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