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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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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cap — of ice
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. press — newspapers
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. press — a publisher
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cap — a hat
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. cap — a lid
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. row — a line
  21. fork — in a road
  22. row — to paddle
  23. press — to push
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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