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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. staff — employees
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — in music
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stock — shares
  9. press — a publisher
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. stock — goods
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. staff — employees
  16. face — to confront
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. face — part of the head
  20. press — newspapers
  21. lie — to recline
  22. face — to point toward
  23. staff — a stick
  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