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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: bat · press · staff · lie · face · mate · nail · rush

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. press — to push
  3. face — to confront
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mate — a friend
  7. staff — employees
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mate — to breed
  10. staff — a stick
  11. lie — to recline
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. staff — employees
  18. mate — a partner
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. lie — an untruth

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