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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. face — to confront
  3. wax — to grow
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. press — a publisher
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. press — newspapers
  17. capital — money
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. capital — a city
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. press — to push
  24. capital — a big letter

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