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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. rash — a series
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. rash — hasty
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lean — thin
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. lean — to bend
  9. fork — in a road
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. sharp — clever
  12. press — a publisher
  13. snap — to click
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. ground — the earth
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. ground — a position
  20. press — to push
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. ground — crushed
  23. fork — to eat with
  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