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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. press — newspapers
  3. shower — to wash
  4. plane — a tool
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cold — an illness
  16. press — to push
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bound — tied together
  19. club — a group
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cold — not warm
  23. press — a publisher
  24. shower — rain

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