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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. object — an aim
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. capital — money
  5. shower — rain
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. object — a thing
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fork — in a road
  13. shower — to wash
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. object — to protest
  17. press — newspapers
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. press — to push
  21. wound — an injury
  22. capital — a city
  23. wound — an injury
  24. press — a publisher

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