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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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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: wound · swing · bore · face · pit · bay · press · cold

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. face — to confront
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cold — not warm
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wound — an injury
  14. swing — music
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bore — to drill
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. face — part of the head
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. swing — to play 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