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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bat — the animal
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pop — to visit
  7. press — a publisher
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. plane — a tool
  11. press — newspapers
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pop — soda
  14. press — to push
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lean — thin
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. lean — to bend
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. wound — an injury
  24. plane — in geometry

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