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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 120 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. clip — a video
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. press — a publisher
  5. current — electric
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. current — happening now
  8. clip — for paper
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. clip — to cut
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. press — to push
  17. pitch — completely
  18. face — part of the head
  19. press — newspapers
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. lie — to recline
  22. current — of water
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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