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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. band — a music group
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. band — a ring
  6. track — a path
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pass — a permit
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — a contest
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bat — the animal
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bat — for baseball

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