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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wake — a trail
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bound — obliged
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. press — a publisher
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. press — to push
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bound — certain
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bound — tied together

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