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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. ground — a position
  3. plane — a tool
  4. tube — a container
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wind — moving air
  10. capital — money
  11. tube — the underground
  12. press — a publisher
  13. capital — a city
  14. wind — moving air
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. ground — crushed
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. press — to push
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pitcher — a jug

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