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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. face — to confront
  3. press — to push
  4. ground — a position
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bark — to shout
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. press — newspapers
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mate — to breed
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. game — a match

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