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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. march — the month
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rash — a series
  11. fall — the season
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. march — the month
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fall — to drop
  17. march — music
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. press — newspapers
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fall — to drop
  23. vault — a safe
  24. present — there

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