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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 124 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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wound — an injury
  7. net — for catching
  8. squash — the sport
  9. press — a publisher
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. net — after costs
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. saw — the tool
  21. current — happening now
  22. squash — to crush
  23. net — in sport
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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