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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 116 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. plane — a tool
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. can — a tin
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. can — to be able to
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. last — final
  12. ball — a great time
  13. fall — to drop
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. fall — the season
  17. last — finally
  18. can — a tin
  19. last — to go on
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ball — a dance
  22. press — newspapers
  23. spell — magic
  24. plane — in geometry

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