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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. press — to push
  3. race — the arms race
  4. clip — for paper
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. press — a publisher
  9. race — a contest
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. present — the time now
  12. race — humankind
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. plane — a tool
  16. court — of law
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. present — there
  19. press — newspapers
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. plane — an aircraft

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