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

Word bank: lie · straw · present · press · lash · fork · degree · snap

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. present — the time now
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. present — there
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. degree — temperature
  13. press — newspapers
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. press — to push
  17. fork — in a road
  18. snap — to click
  19. press — a publisher
  20. degree — from a university
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. present — a gift
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lie — to recline

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