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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rule — a law
  5. press — to push
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fork — in a road
  9. face — to confront
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. net — for catching
  16. pop — music
  17. net — after costs
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rule — government
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pop — soda

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