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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: bay · press · mine · deal · temple · face · staff · last

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. face — to confront
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. deal — to handle
  10. face — to point toward
  11. press — a publisher
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. press — to push
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. last — final
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mine — for digging
  19. last — finally
  20. press — newspapers
  21. staff — a stick
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. staff — employees
  24. last — to go on

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