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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: dip · press · rash · rule · racket · lash · stick · mouse

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. press — a publisher
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. press — to push
  10. rash — a series
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. press — newspapers
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rule — a law
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. rule — government

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