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

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. press — a publisher
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. land — a country
  7. prune — to trim
  8. land — to come down
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. land — ground
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fine — high quality
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. press — to push
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. prune — to trim
  24. plane — a tool

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