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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. snap — to click
  3. court — of law
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. press — to push
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. press — a publisher
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. press — newspapers
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lean — thin
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lean — to bend
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rash — a series

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