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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. squash — to crush
  3. staff — a stick
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spell — a short time
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. press — newspapers
  14. spell — letters
  15. press — to push
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. staff — employees
  20. spell — magic
  21. squash — the sport
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. press — a publisher
  24. staff — employees

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