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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wound — an injury
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to point toward
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. press — to push
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. chair — a leader
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — music
  17. press — newspapers
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. face — to confront
  22. race — a contest
  23. sharp — clever
  24. race — humankind

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