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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. fine — all right
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stock — shares
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wind — moving air
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. drill — the tool
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stock — goods
  24. drill — army training

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