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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. net — in sport
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. mine — for digging
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. net — after costs
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. press — to push
  20. swing — in golf
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. press — a publisher
  23. swing — music
  24. calf — a young animal

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