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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mate — a friend
  5. press — to push
  6. rest — a break
  7. bat — the animal
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. staff — employees
  11. rest — what's left
  12. press — a publisher
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. press — newspapers
  17. face — part of the head
  18. staff — employees
  19. face — to confront
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. staff — a stick

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