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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. press — newspapers
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. face — to confront
  13. pitch — completely
  14. can — a tin
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cap — of ice
  17. dip — to sink
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. can — a tin
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bark — of a tree

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