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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: squash · press · pitch · straw · safe · face · hide · fan

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. press — a publisher
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. press — newspapers
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. face — to point toward
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. squash — the sport
  13. face — to confront
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. press — to push
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pitch — a sports field

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