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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: ruler · tube · press · chair · snap · plane · cold · foot

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. plane — a tool
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. tube — a container
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. press — newspapers
  11. chair — a leader
  12. press — a publisher
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. press — to push
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cold — an illness
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. tube — the underground
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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