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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: snap · press · mark · bat · degree · lash · date · pit

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. degree — an amount
  6. snap — to click
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mark — a grade
  11. press — a publisher
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. press — newspapers
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pit — a hole
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pit — in a race
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. date — the fruit
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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