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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 120 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. firm — a company
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. press — newspapers
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. tear — to rip
  12. press — a publisher
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bound — tied together
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bound — certain
  17. saw — the tool
  18. firm — decided
  19. firm — steady
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cold — not warm
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. cold — an illness
  24. press — to push

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