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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · pit · chip · tear · face · leaves · press · staff

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. press — a publisher
  4. chip — for betting
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. press — to push
  9. pit — a hole
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chip — to eat
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pit — in a race
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. staff — employees
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. staff — a stick
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. staff — employees
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. tear — from crying

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