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

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. race — humankind
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. race — the arms race
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cap — of ice
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. press — newspapers
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. press — to push
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. race — a contest

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