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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. tube — in a tire
  3. file — a document
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. file — a tool
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. press — to push
  10. mug — a cup
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mug — a face
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. tube — a container
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bat — the animal
  17. tube — the underground
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. ground — the earth
  23. file — a line of people
  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