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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. can — to be able to
  5. land — to come down
  6. plane — a tool
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. ball — a great time
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. clip — a video
  15. can — a tin
  16. land — a country
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. cell — in biology
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. can — a tin
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cell — a phone
  23. land — ground
  24. clip — to cut

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