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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. press — a publisher
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — a partner
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wind — moving air
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wind — moving air
  24. press — to push

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