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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cell — a phone
  4. file — a tool
  5. bound — certain
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pitch — completely
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bound — obliged
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. file — a document
  17. press — to push
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pitch — a sports field

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