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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pound — a weight
  9. press — a publisher
  10. scale — size or range
  11. press — newspapers
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bat — the animal
  20. scale — in music
  21. content — the amount
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. content — happy

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