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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitch — completely
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. lie — to recline
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wax — to grow
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. degree — an amount
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. tube — the underground
  16. press — newspapers
  17. tube — a container
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. press — to push
  24. press — a publisher

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