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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. season — in sport
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. chair — a leader
  17. press — to push
  18. land — a country

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