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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: lash · press · march · rash · kid · fine · foot · degree

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. press — to push
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. march — the month
  12. press — a publisher
  13. degree — from a university
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. march — music
  17. degree — temperature
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. foot — a measure
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rash — a series
  24. kid — child

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