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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rest — what's left
  3. press — to push
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. scale — size or range
  6. snap — to click
  7. roll — a cake
  8. scale — in music
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wake — a trail
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. rest — a break
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pop — soda
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. roll — a list
  20. pop — to visit
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rest — what's left
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pop — music

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