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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: fan · saw · hide · bay · rule · pound · press · face

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. face — to confront
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. saw — the tool
  5. face — to point toward
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rule — a law
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rule — government
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. press — newspapers

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