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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — finally
  4. race — a contest
  5. pit — a hole
  6. press — newspapers
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. press — to push
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. race — the arms race
  14. last — to go on
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. last — final
  19. face — to confront
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. race — humankind
  23. pit — in a race
  24. face — part of the head

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