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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lash · game · press · hand · drill · coach · hide · snap

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. drill — army training
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. press — a publisher
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. press — newspapers
  9. game — a match
  10. drill — the tool
  11. hand — help
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. hand — in cards
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. drill — a practice
  20. snap — to click
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. game — a kind of play

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