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

Word bank: plane · mate · bat · press · pitch · sharp · pop · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pitch — completely
  5. content — happy
  6. pop — to visit
  7. content — the amount
  8. bat — the animal
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pop — music
  11. mate — to breed
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. sharp — clever
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. press — to push
  24. sharp — exactly

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