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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. charge — in control
  5. lie — to recline
  6. snap — to click
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rest — a break
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. charge — electricity
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rest — what's left
  16. charge — a price
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mate — a friend
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mate — a partner
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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