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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. net — for catching
  5. current — electric
  6. net — in sport
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. current — happening now
  12. pass — a permit
  13. net — after costs
  14. press — to push
  15. bore — to tire
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. fine — all right
  19. current — of water
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fine — high quality

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