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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. ground — the earth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. press — to push
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wind — moving air
  9. firm — decided
  10. lie — to recline
  11. firm — a company
  12. ground — crushed
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. snap — to click
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ground — a position
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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