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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. lean — to bend
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. rush — hurry
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. ground — a position
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. ground — the earth
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. press — a publisher
  18. lean — thin
  19. net — in sport
  20. press — to push
  21. ground — crushed
  22. press — newspapers
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — with a leg

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