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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: pitcher · press · tear · plane · dip · court · rash · game

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tear — from crying
  4. court — for sport
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. game — wild animals
  8. press — to push
  9. game — a match
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. tear — to rip
  12. dip — to sink
  13. press — newspapers
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rash — hasty
  16. tear — from crying
  17. court — of law
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. press — a publisher
  22. court — of a king
  23. plane — a tool
  24. dip — to dunk

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