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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. press — to push
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bulb — for light
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. fall — to drop
  15. press — newspapers
  16. fall — the season
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. press — a publisher
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. saw — the tool
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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