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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bat — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. press — a publisher
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. content — happy
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wind — moving air
  14. content — the amount
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. squash — the sport
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. press — to push
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. roll — a cake
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. roll — a list
  24. squash — to crush

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