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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. object — a thing
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bear — the animal
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lie — to recline
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. object — to protest
  16. bear — the animal
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. object — an aim
  20. face — to confront
  21. press — to push
  22. rest — a break
  23. cell — in biology
  24. squash — the vegetable

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