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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: dip · lean · bat · chest · scale · cue · plane · press

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cue — for pool
  5. lean — thin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. press — a publisher
  9. chest — a box
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bat — the animal
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. cue — a hint
  18. scale — in music
  19. press — to push
  20. chest — of your body
  21. scale — size or range
  22. press — newspapers
  23. lean — to bend
  24. dip — to sink

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