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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pop — to visit
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. race — humankind
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pound — a weight
  10. degree — from a university
  11. press — a publisher
  12. race — the arms race
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. press — to push
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. degree — temperature
  23. race — a contest
  24. lash — an eyelash

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