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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. net — for catching
  3. rash — hasty
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. press — a publisher
  10. rash — a series
  11. cap — a lid
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. press — to push
  16. cap — a hat
  17. net — after costs
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. net — in sport
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cap — of ice

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