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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. spring — of water
  3. court — of law
  4. press — to push
  5. land — a country
  6. spring — a coil
  7. land — ground
  8. press — a publisher
  9. fine — all right
  10. land — to come down
  11. kid — child
  12. mug — a face
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fine — high quality
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. spring — the season
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of a king
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mug — a cup
  22. kid — to tease
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mug — to rob

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