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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. file — a document
  4. shower — to wash
  5. file — a tool
  6. shower — rain
  7. stock — shares
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. stock — goods
  15. squash — the sport
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. ground — crushed
  21. plane — a tool
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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