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

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. game — a match
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cue — a hint
  10. rash — a series
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. plane — a tool
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cue — for pool
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cue — a signal
  23. game — wild animals
  24. press — newspapers

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