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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ground — crushed
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rash — hasty
  6. spring — a coil
  7. press — to push
  8. sharp — clever
  9. press — newspapers
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rash — a series
  12. spring — of water
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. press — a publisher
  16. spring — the season
  17. ground — a position
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. ball — a dance

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