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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. clip — to cut
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. roll — a cake
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. plane — a tool
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. press — to push
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. wind — moving air
  23. roll — a list
  24. hide — to keep secret

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