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

Word bank: game · chip · press · face · stick · kick · shower · arm

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. chip — to eat
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. press — to push
  6. press — newspapers
  7. kick — in football
  8. face — part of the head
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. face — to point toward
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. shower — to wash
  18. face — to confront
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. chip — for betting

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