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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bat — the animal
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. face — part of the head
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. face — to confront
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. saw — the tool
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — to push
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. prune — to trim
  23. snap — to click
  24. press — newspapers

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