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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: press · safe · chip · fork · club · hide · face · saw

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. club — for dancing
  5. face — to point toward
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. face — part of the head
  10. club — a group
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. face — to confront
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. press — newspapers
  23. chip — for betting
  24. club — for golf

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