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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mate — to breed
  12. press — to push
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bore — to tire
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. club — for golf
  17. cold — not warm
  18. press — newspapers
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — a strongbox

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