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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. face — to point toward
  3. key — the most important part
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. chest — a box
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bore — to tire
  9. key — in music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. chest — of your body
  13. press — to push
  14. bore — to drill
  15. face — part of the head
  16. key — for a lock
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. present — the time now
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. face — to confront
  21. present — a gift
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bat — the animal
  24. chest — of your body

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