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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. press — to push
  3. rest — a break
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rock — a stone
  10. hand — help
  11. tube — a container
  12. pitch — completely
  13. press — newspapers
  14. plane — a tool
  15. press — a publisher
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — in cards
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. sharp — clever
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. tube — the underground
  24. sharp — with an edge

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