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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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Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. firm — decided
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. chest — of your body
  8. press — newspapers
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pit — in a race
  12. firm — steady
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pit — a hole
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. press — a publisher
  18. firm — a company
  19. race — a contest
  20. chest — a box
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. mine — for digging

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