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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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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: press · bat · lash · suit · march · land · mug · stand

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. march — music
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. land — ground
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. march — the month
  7. land — to come down
  8. suit — to fit
  9. press — a publisher
  10. land — a country
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. march — the month
  15. press — to push
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bat — the animal
  19. suit — in cards
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. mug — to rob
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. suit — clothes

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