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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. press — to push
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pop — to visit
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. chip — to eat
  8. press — newspapers
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rule — government
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. ground — a position
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. pop — music
  17. rule — a law
  18. ground — the earth
  19. spring — a coil
  20. hand — help
  21. chip — for betting
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pop — soda
  24. spring — of water

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