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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: chair · lie · face · rule · stick · pass · last · press

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. face — to confront
  7. last — finally
  8. press — newspapers
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. last — final
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. press — a publisher
  14. lie — to recline
  15. chair — a leader
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. press — to push
  19. pass — a permit
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — a law
  24. last — to go on

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