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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. press — to push
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. plane — a tool
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bark — to shout
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rest — what's left
  13. press — newspapers
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. press — a publisher
  17. tube — a container
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rest — a break
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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