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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. pit — in a race
  4. prune — to trim
  5. press — a publisher
  6. last — to go on
  7. bound — tied together
  8. prune — to trim
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. last — finally
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bound — certain
  20. pit — a hole
  21. last — final
  22. plane — a tool
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bound — obliged

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