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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. press — to push
  7. saw — the tool
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. plane — a tool
  10. press — newspapers
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. land — a country
  14. bear — the animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. land — ground
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. press — a publisher
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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