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

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. net — in sport
  3. board — to get on
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. face — to confront
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pit — a hole
  8. board — a committee
  9. pit — in a race
  10. scale — size or range
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. net — after costs
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bark — to shout
  20. dip — to sink
  21. scale — in music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. net — for catching
  24. face — to point toward

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