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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 120 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. press — to push
  3. face — to point toward
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. kick — in football
  11. land — a country
  12. face — to confront
  13. game — wild animals
  14. land — ground
  15. face — part of the head
  16. ground — crushed
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. game — a match
  22. land — to come down
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. tear — from crying

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