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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. face — to point toward
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. face — to confront
  11. tube — the underground
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cell — a phone
  18. press — newspapers
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. tube — a container
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. mine — for digging
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. tube — in a tire

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