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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: arm · saw · fork · press · season · mate · net · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. saw — the tool
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mate — to breed
  5. season — of the year
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. press — to push
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. press — newspapers
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mate — a partner
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — in sport
  18. mate — a friend
  19. net — after costs
  20. fork — in a road
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. net — in sport
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. net — for catching

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