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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pop — music
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. squash — the sport
  11. hand — help
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. press — newspapers
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. press — to push
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pop — soda
  24. lash — to lash out

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