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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 120 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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. press — to push
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. present — there
  9. key — in music
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. season — of the year
  12. press — newspapers
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. key — the most important part
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — the time now
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. key — for a lock
  21. season — in sport
  22. cold — not warm
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cold — an illness

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