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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. press — newspapers
  4. object — a thing
  5. press — to push
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pit — in a race
  11. object — an aim
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. chest — a box
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wake — a trail
  16. hand — help
  17. object — to protest
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pit — a hole
  23. chest — of your body
  24. scale — for weighing

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