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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. press — a publisher
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. kick — in football
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. press — to push
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. press — newspapers
  23. straw — a straw man
  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