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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mark — a trace
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. last — finally
  9. shower — to wash
  10. drill — army training
  11. last — to go on
  12. press — to push
  13. drill — a practice
  14. saw — the tool
  15. deal — to handle
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. drill — the tool
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. saw — the tool
  23. last — final
  24. deal — a big deal

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