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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. band — a music group
  3. plane — a tool
  4. tube — a container
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. tube — the underground
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. game — a match

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