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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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468
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: foot · leaves · rash · chip · pitch · face · spring · press

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rash — a series
  4. press — to push
  5. face — part of the head
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. face — to confront
  8. chip — to eat
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. pitch — completely
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rash — hasty
  17. chip — for betting
  18. press — a publisher
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pitch — a sports field

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