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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 120 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: hide · perch · lash · cell · press · fine · chest · kick

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. fine — high quality
  12. chest — of your body
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fine — all right
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. chest — of your body
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. perch — the fish
  21. kick — in football
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cell — in biology
  24. press — a publisher

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