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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: dip · lash · kick · drill · pitch · snap · press · squash

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. snap — to click
  4. dip — to sink
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. squash — the sport
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. press — to push
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. drill — a practice
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. press — a publisher
  16. kick — in football
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. drill — army training
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. drill — the tool
  22. squash — to crush
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pitch — completely

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