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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. land — a country
  5. press — newspapers
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. swing — music
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. game — a match
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. press — to push
  18. game — wild animals
  19. swing — to play on
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. swing — in golf
  24. game — a kind of play

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