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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 116 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. tube — a container
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. perch — the fish
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. press — newspapers
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. net — in sport
  12. bat — the animal
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. net — for catching
  20. press — to push
  21. net — after costs
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. lash — to lash out

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