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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 120 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. fine — all right
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. track — a song
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. track — a path
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. track — to keep track
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. chip — for betting
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wind — moving air
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. season — in sport
  18. fine — high quality
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. season — of the year
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. chip — to eat
  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