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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: face · snap · bound · pop · toast · press · hide · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. face — part of the head
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. toast — bread
  6. press — to push
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. pop — music
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bound — certain
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pop — soda
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bound — tied together
  16. face — to confront
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bound — obliged
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. press — newspapers
  21. face — to point toward
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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