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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bark — to shout
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. face — part of the head
  6. press — to push
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. march — music
  9. ground — crushed
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. march — the month
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. ground — a position
  20. face — to confront
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. rush — hurry
  23. face — to point toward
  24. march — the month

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