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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 116 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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. face — to confront
  3. land — a country
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mug — a cup
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. stem — to come from
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mug — a face
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rock — music
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. land — ground
  16. rock — a stone
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. land — to come down
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cold — an illness
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stem — of a plant

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