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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. game — wild animals
  3. drill — a practice
  4. fall — to drop
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bat — the animal
  7. drill — the tool
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fall — the season
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. chest — a box
  14. present — a gift
  15. game — a match
  16. present — there
  17. fall — to drop
  18. drill — army training
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. press — to push
  21. chest — of your body
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. chest — of your body
  24. present — the time now

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