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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. field — a subject
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. field — for sport
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. kid — child
  11. tube — a container
  12. press — newspapers
  13. row — to paddle
  14. kid — to tease
  15. press — a publisher
  16. toast — bread
  17. field — farmland
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. row — a line
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. press — to push
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cabinet — ministers

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