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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. land — a country
  4. firm — a company
  5. kid — to tease
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. firm — steady
  8. land — to come down
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. press — to push
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. scale — size or range
  13. firm — decided
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rash — a series
  17. press — newspapers
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. press — a publisher
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. land — ground

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