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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · mate · face · press · chest · object

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. face — to point toward
  3. chest — a box
  4. face — to confront
  5. press — to push
  6. object — a thing
  7. press — newspapers
  8. chest — of your body
  9. press — a publisher
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mate — to breed
  12. face — part of the head
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. object — an aim
  15. chest — of your body
  16. object — to protest
  17. mate — a partner
  18. ruler — for measuring

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