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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: fall · face · press · pitch · charge · object · lie · arm

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fall — the season
  5. face — to confront
  6. press — a publisher
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. object — an aim
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitch — completely
  12. charge — a price
  13. fall — to drop
  14. charge — electricity
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. object — a thing
  17. fall — to drop
  18. press — newspapers
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. charge — in control
  23. press — to push
  24. object — to protest

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