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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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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: press · kick · plane · suit · pit · wound · wind · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. press — to push
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. press — a publisher
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pit — a hole
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mark — a grade
  15. suit — in cards
  16. wound — an injury
  17. plane — a tool
  18. press — newspapers
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — to fit
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wound — an injury

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