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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. press — a publisher
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. band — a music group
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. squash — to crush
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. field — a subject
  18. cue — a signal
  19. band — a ring
  20. scale — in music
  21. cue — for pool
  22. squash — the sport
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. cue — a hint

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