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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. key — the most important part
  4. press — newspapers
  5. chest — of your body
  6. press — a publisher
  7. track — a song
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — a path
  11. press — to push
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. key — in music
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bank — of a river
  16. track — to keep track
  17. chest — a box
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. degree — an amount
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bank — for money
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bank — for money

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