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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. press — a publisher
  4. net — in sport
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. net — after costs
  12. bulb — for light
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. fall — to drop
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. net — for catching
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. press — to push
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. press — newspapers

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