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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. press — to push
  3. club — for dancing
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. saw — the tool
  7. press — newspapers
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. club — for golf
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. press — a publisher
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. club — a group
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. dip — to sink
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. hide — to keep secret

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