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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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chip — for betting
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bark — to shout
  6. firm — decided
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cell — a phone
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cell — in biology
  12. press — newspapers
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. firm — steady
  15. press — a publisher
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. press — to push
  19. dip — to sink
  20. chip — to eat
  21. face — part of the head
  22. firm — a company
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. fan — a supporter

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