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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. tear — from crying
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. hand — in cards
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. press — to push
  11. saw — the tool
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bear — the animal
  14. plane — a tool
  15. press — a publisher
  16. hand — help
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pitch — completely
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. tear — to rip

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