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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. track — a song
  3. tear — to rip
  4. stand — to bear
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. track — to keep track
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. press — to push
  13. race — the arms race
  14. tear — from crying
  15. press — a publisher
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. track — a path
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. rush — hurry
  22. press — newspapers
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chest — of your body

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