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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. race — a contest
  5. press — a publisher
  6. game — a match
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. clip — a video
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — boats
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. race — humankind
  18. game — wild animals
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. swing — music
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cabinet — ministers

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