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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. press — a publisher
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. press — to push
  5. chair — a leader
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. press — newspapers
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. sharp — clever
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. lash — a whip stroke

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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