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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. charge — a price
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. press — newspapers
  9. march — the month
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. charge — electricity
  12. squash — to crush
  13. march — music
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bore — to tire
  23. squash — the sport
  24. charge — in control

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