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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. chip — to eat
  5. present — there
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. press — a publisher
  14. present — a gift
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. season — of the year
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. season — in sport
  22. present — the time now
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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