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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. press — to push
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. toast — bread
  6. drill — army training
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wound — an injury
  11. drill — the tool
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. stem — to come from
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. drill — a practice
  24. stem — of a plant

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