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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 124 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. row — a line
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mate — to breed
  6. press — to push
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mate — a friend
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. mate — a partner
  20. tube — the underground
  21. press — a publisher
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. press — newspapers

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