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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pop — soda
  6. shower — rain
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. season — of the year
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. sharp — clever
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pop — to visit
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pop — music
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. season — in sport

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