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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 120 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lean — thin
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lie — to recline
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. lean — to bend
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. row — to paddle

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