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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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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: chest · arm · cue · face · safe · press · wound · fall

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wound — an injury
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. press — to push
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cue — for pool
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fall — to drop
  12. face — part of the head
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. face — to point toward
  17. press — newspapers
  18. chest — a box
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fall — the season
  21. cue — a hint
  22. chest — of your body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. cue — a signal

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