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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bass — low music
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. land — ground
  10. lie — to recline
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. press — to push
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cold — not warm
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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