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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. press — to push
  8. mug — to rob
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pass — a permit
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. press — newspapers
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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