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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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Word bank
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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: hide · plane · press · bat · race · chair · temple · hand

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. hand — help
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. race — a contest
  8. bat — the animal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. press — a publisher
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. plane — a tool
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. press — to push
  20. race — humankind
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. race — the arms race
  24. plane — an aircraft

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