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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. press — to push
  4. chair — a leader
  5. face — part of the head
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mark — a grade
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a trace
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. press — a publisher
  14. tear — to rip
  15. face — to point toward
  16. deal — to handle
  17. tear — from crying
  18. dip — to sink
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. face — to confront
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. deal — a big deal

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