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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. press — a publisher
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. hand — help
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pit — in a race
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bulb — for light
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bulb — for light
  24. dip — a sauce

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