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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. plane — a tool
  6. press — newspapers
  7. face — to point toward
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a hole
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. kick — in football
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. press — to push
  20. lean — thin
  21. face — part of the head
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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