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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: chip · face · bark · press · toast · kid · mate · cap

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cap — a hat
  3. press — to push
  4. face — to point toward
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mate — a partner
  8. face — part of the head
  9. kid — to tease
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. face — to confront
  17. kid — child
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chip — for betting
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. toast — bread

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