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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 124 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. press — to push
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. press — newspapers
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rest — what's left
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rest — a break
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pitch — completely
  24. wind — moving air

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