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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. land — to come down
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. net — for catching
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. shower — rain
  10. net — after costs
  11. shower — to wash
  12. field — for sport
  13. land — a country
  14. field — farmland
  15. press — to push
  16. rule — government
  17. plane — a tool
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rule — a law
  20. field — a subject
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. net — in sport
  23. land — ground
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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