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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. face — part of the head
  3. press — to push
  4. drill — army training
  5. suit — clothes
  6. toast — bread
  7. face — to confront
  8. file — a tool
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bound — tied together
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. drill — the tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bound — obliged
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bound — certain
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. file — a line of people
  21. suit — in cards
  22. lie — to recline
  23. face — to point toward
  24. file — a document

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