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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · sharp · hand · lash · court · press · current · straw

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. press — to push
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pit — a hole
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pit — in a race
  9. press — newspapers
  10. current — happening now
  11. court — for sport
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. current — of water
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. press — a publisher
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. court — of a king
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. court — of law
  23. current — electric
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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