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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. charge — a price
  4. present — the time now
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. present — a gift
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. present — there
  12. press — newspapers
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wind — moving air
  17. row — to paddle
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mark — a grade
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mark — a trace
  23. charge — in control
  24. mark — to pay attention

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