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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. press — to push
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. rush — hurry
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cold — not warm
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cold — an illness
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. can — a tin
  17. face — part of the head
  18. press — newspapers
  19. can — a tin
  20. press — a publisher
  21. plane — a tool
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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