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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: clip · press · game · face · pit · spell · leaves · pitcher

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. face — part of the head
  3. spell — magic
  4. press — to push
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. clip — a video
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. spell — a short time
  9. press — a publisher
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. press — newspapers
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. spell — letters
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pit — in a race
  19. game — wild animals
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. clip — for paper
  24. face — to confront

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