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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. foot — a measure
  3. press — newspapers
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. press — to push
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. press — a publisher
  8. object — an aim
  9. net — after costs
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. spring — of water
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spring — the season
  19. net — in sport
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — a thing
  22. spring — a coil
  23. net — for catching
  24. foot — the bottom

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