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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 116 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. row — a line
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. row — to paddle
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. press — a publisher
  14. face — to confront
  15. snap — to click
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. face — to point toward
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. press — to push
  22. land — ground
  23. face — part of the head
  24. row — a quarrel

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