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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cap — a hat
  3. press — a publisher
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cap — of ice
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. shower — rain
  11. bat — the animal
  12. lean — thin
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lean — to bend
  18. key — the most important part
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cue — a hint
  22. key — in music
  23. press — to push
  24. lash — to lash out

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