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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. staff — employees
  3. press — a publisher
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. swing — music
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. lean — to bend
  13. press — newspapers
  14. staff — a stick
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. staff — employees
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. press — to push
  20. swing — to play on
  21. plane — a tool
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lean — thin
  24. leaves — lets stay

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