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

Word bank: cabinet · wind · mark · chest · race · face · press · bore

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mark — a grade
  6. chest — a box
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. face — to confront
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bore — to tire
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. chest — of your body
  15. race — a contest
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bore — to drill
  20. race — the arms race
  21. press — a publisher
  22. face — part of the head
  23. press — to push
  24. race — humankind

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