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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · plane · straw · race · dip · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. dip — to sink
  3. press — a publisher
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pit — in a race
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. press — newspapers
  12. race — humankind
  13. press — to push
  14. race — a contest
  15. plane — a tool
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. straw — dry grass

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