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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. squash — to crush
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. press — a publisher
  5. date — the fruit
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. tube — the underground
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ball — a dance
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wake — a trail
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. press — to push
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. ball — a great time
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. press — newspapers
  24. jam — in traffic

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