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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. scale — in music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. press — newspapers
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. press — to push
  12. capital — money
  13. scale — size or range
  14. capital — a city
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mark — a grade
  21. plane — a tool
  22. press — a publisher
  23. prune — to trim
  24. drill — the tool

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