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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. swing — to play on
  6. press — to push
  7. race — a contest
  8. bear — the animal
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — newspapers
  11. swing — music
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bear — the animal
  15. swing — in golf
  16. race — humankind
  17. spring — of water
  18. hide — animal skin

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