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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 116 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. kid — child
  6. pop — soda
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. press — newspapers
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. file — a tool
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. press — to push
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. kid — to tease
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. lash — an eyelash

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