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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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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: race · pit · staff · shower · lash · snap · saw · press

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. staff — a stick
  5. saw — the tool
  6. race — the arms race
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — in a race
  13. press — a publisher
  14. staff — employees
  15. press — newspapers
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. staff — employees
  19. snap — to click
  20. press — to push
  21. saw — the tool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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