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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bound — tied together
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bound — certain
  8. scale — in music
  9. bound — obliged
  10. spell — letters
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. scale — size or range
  14. spell — magic
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. press — newspapers
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. press — to push
  23. spell — a short time
  24. straw — a straw man

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