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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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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: press · bat · face · bay · cell · mate · hand · saw

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. press — to push
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mate — a partner
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cell — in biology
  8. hand — help
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mate — a friend
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. hand — in cards
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bat — the animal
  18. face — to confront
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. saw — the tool
  22. face — to point toward
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mate — to breed

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