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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cell — a phone
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. chest — a box
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. rest — a break
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fork — in a road
  17. court — of a king
  18. rest — what's left
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bulb — for light
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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