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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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. deal — to handle
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. game — a match
  6. press — a publisher
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitch — completely
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. game — wild animals
  19. tube — a container
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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