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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — newspapers
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. net — after costs
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. net — in sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. row — to paddle
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. kick — in football
  18. net — for catching
  19. press — to push
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. row — a line

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