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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: stick · stand · kick · press · bat · squash · lie · plane

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lie — to recline
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. press — a publisher
  5. stand — to bear
  6. plane — a tool
  7. press — to push
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. squash — to crush
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kick — in football
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. press — newspapers
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bat — in an idiom

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