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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. press — to push
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pop — to visit
  7. lie — to recline
  8. face — part of the head
  9. hand — in cards
  10. face — to point toward
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. face — to confront
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. cap — of ice
  16. press — a publisher
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pop — soda
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pound — a weight
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pop — music
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lie — an untruth

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