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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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468
Word bank
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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mate — to breed
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. press — a publisher
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. face — part of the head
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. press — to push
  14. rest — what's left
  15. scale — size or range
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rest — a break
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. scale — in music
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. snap — to click

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