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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: stick · lie · ruler · current · chest · press · face · bore

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. face — to confront
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. face — part of the head
  7. current — of water
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. face — to point toward
  14. current — happening now
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. current — electric
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chest — a box
  24. bore — to drill

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