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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: face · march · deal · suit · staff · game · press · tube

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. suit — clothes
  3. staff — employees
  4. game — wild animals
  5. press — to push
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. tube — the underground
  10. march — the month
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. suit — to fit
  13. march — the month
  14. suit — in cards
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. face — to point toward
  18. press — newspapers
  19. face — part of the head
  20. march — music
  21. press — a publisher
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. tube — a container

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