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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. press — newspapers
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. press — to push
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. press — a publisher
  12. ball — a great time
  13. tube — the underground
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lean — thin
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. ball — a dance
  19. tube — a container
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pitch — completely
  24. plane — a tool

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