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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: face · sharp · wave · straw · press · clip · rash · capital

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. sharp — clever
  4. press — newspapers
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. clip — to cut
  14. press — a publisher
  15. clip — a video
  16. capital — a city
  17. rash — hasty
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. capital — money
  20. press — to push
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. face — to confront
  24. rash — a series

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