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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: cue · mate · swing · rest · lash · press · kid · bat

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. kid — child
  3. mate — a partner
  4. swing — to play on
  5. press — newspapers
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mate — to breed
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cue — a hint
  13. press — to push
  14. swing — in golf
  15. press — a publisher
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bat — the animal
  19. swing — music
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rest — a break
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rest — what's left

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