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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. tube — a container
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. press — a publisher
  16. perch — the fish
  17. tube — the underground
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pitch — completely
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pass — a permit
  22. press — newspapers
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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