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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · snap · mug · press · lie · drill · row · bat

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mug — to rob
  3. snap — to click
  4. mug — a cup
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. drill — army training
  10. row — a line
  11. drill — a practice
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. fine — high quality
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mug — a face
  18. press — a publisher
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. row — to paddle

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