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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: stick · foot · key · bat · press · tear · plane · hand

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. key — for a lock
  3. hand — in cards
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bat — the animal
  6. plane — a tool
  7. press — to push
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. hand — help
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. key — in music
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tear — from crying
  22. foot — a measure
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bat — for baseball

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