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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. press — to push
  3. scale — in music
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. court — of law
  6. file — a document
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. cue — a hint
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. present — the time now
  14. cue — a signal
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. present — there
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. present — a gift
  22. cue — for pool
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — a tight spot

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