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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. court — of a king
  3. press — to push
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rest — a break
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rest — what's left
  8. spell — magic
  9. court — of law
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. spell — letters
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. court — for sport
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. press — a publisher
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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