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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fine — all right
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. object — to protest
  6. tube — the underground
  7. spring — of water
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. current — happening now
  11. press — newspapers
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. object — an aim
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. press — to push
  16. fine — high quality
  17. spring — a coil
  18. tube — a container
  19. press — a publisher
  20. spring — the season
  21. current — electric
  22. face — part of the head
  23. current — of water
  24. object — a thing

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