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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. press — to push
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. chip — for betting
  8. press — newspapers
  9. rule — a law
  10. swing — in golf
  11. kick — in football
  12. swing — to play on
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bark — to shout
  15. rule — government
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. press — a publisher
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. face — to confront
  22. swing — music
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wind — moving air

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