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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 116 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. object — to protest
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. object — an aim
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. press — to push
  11. hand — help
  12. wound — an injury
  13. press — newspapers
  14. squash — the sport
  15. hand — in cards
  16. object — a thing
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wound — an injury
  20. squash — to crush
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cabinet — ministers

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