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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. press — newspapers
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. net — for catching
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. net — after costs
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. game — wild animals
  13. date — the fruit
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. press — to push
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. game — a match
  23. net — in sport
  24. lash — to lash out

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