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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. firm — decided
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. face — to point toward
  6. land — ground
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. press — to push
  9. shower — to wash
  10. face — part of the head
  11. firm — a company
  12. press — a publisher
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. firm — steady
  15. prune — to trim
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. press — newspapers
  18. land — to come down
  19. chip — to eat
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chip — for betting
  23. shower — rain
  24. land — a country

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