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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. chest — of your body
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. press — to push
  5. chest — a box
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. club — for golf
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. press — a publisher
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bound — certain
  19. club — a group
  20. season — of the year
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. chest — of your body
  24. club — for dancing

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