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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.

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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: foot · key · face · sharp · shower · press · hide · mate

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mate — a friend
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. face — part of the head
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. press — a publisher
  8. shower — rain
  9. key — for a lock
  10. face — to confront
  11. press — to push
  12. key — in music
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mate — to breed
  15. key — the most important part
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. press — newspapers
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. face — to point toward
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. mate — a partner

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