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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 120 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. clip — to cut
  4. snap — to click
  5. cue — for pool
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. face — to point toward
  8. cold — not warm
  9. press — a publisher
  10. clip — a video
  11. cold — an illness
  12. face — to confront
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. face — part of the head
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cue — a signal
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. press — to push

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