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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. press — to push
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. chip — to eat
  5. net — in sport
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. perch — the fish
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. net — for catching
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chip — for betting
  18. net — after costs
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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