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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. press — to push
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stock — goods
  8. press — newspapers
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. drill — army training
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. press — a publisher
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. drill — the tool
  18. vault — a safe

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