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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. press — to push
  7. degree — an amount
  8. spring — of water
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. spring — the season
  18. press — newspapers
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bat — the animal
  21. press — a publisher
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. leaves — lets stay

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