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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bound — certain
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bound — obliged
  5. row — a line
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bark — to shout
  11. press — to push
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. press — a publisher
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. season — of the year
  18. bound — tied together
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. snap — to click
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. season — in sport

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