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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — to push
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. saw — the tool
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. can — to be able to
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. can — a tin
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. can — a tin
  17. snap — to click
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. saw — the tool

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