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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 116 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. tube — a container
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. season — in sport
  5. last — to go on
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. press — newspapers
  9. tube — the underground
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. press — to push
  12. key — in music
  13. row — a line
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. press — a publisher
  18. chair — a leader
  19. last — finally
  20. row — to paddle
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. season — of the year
  23. last — final
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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