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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. press — a publisher
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. file — a tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. file — a document
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bass — the fish
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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