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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 124 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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Word bank
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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bear — the animal
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. press — to push
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rash — a series
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ball — a dance
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cold — an illness
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. racket — for tennis

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