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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. face — to point toward
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. press — a publisher
  6. rock — a stone
  7. degree — from a university
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. press — to push
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. degree — an amount
  16. press — newspapers
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. degree — temperature
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kick — in football
  21. spring — the season
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rock — music
  24. spring — of water

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