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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. press — to push
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pitch — completely
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lie — to recline
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. branch — a division
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. press — newspapers
  23. date — the fruit
  24. press — a publisher

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