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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — for golf
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. content — happy
  6. saw — the tool
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fall — to drop
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. fall — to drop
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fall — the season
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. saw — the tool
  21. snap — to click
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. club — a group
  24. content — the amount

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