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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.

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: pitcher · straw · file · toast · press · fine · stick · face

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. fine — all right
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. face — to confront
  14. press — to push
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. toast — bread
  17. press — newspapers
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. file — a document
  20. fine — high quality
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. press — a publisher
  24. face — part of the head

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