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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: rest · pitcher · cabinet · arm · lash · content · fan · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. content — the amount
  4. rest — a break
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. press — to push
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rest — what's left
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. content — happy
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. content — videos and posts

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