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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 ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. press — a publisher
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. row — a line
  8. press — newspapers
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. stock — goods
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. tube — a container
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stock — shares
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. scale — size or range
  22. press — to push
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. kid — child

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