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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. press — a publisher
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. snap — to click
  10. press — to push
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. foot — a measure
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rash — hasty
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wave — of the sea

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