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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. shower — rain
  7. key — in music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. press — to push
  11. shower — to wash
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. plane — a tool
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bat — the animal
  18. press — newspapers
  19. key — for a lock
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ground — the earth
  23. key — the most important part
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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