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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. charge — in control
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. court — of a king
  11. dip — to sink
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — electricity
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. lean — to bend
  19. court — of law
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wax — to grow
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. court — for sport
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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