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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. press — newspapers
  4. race — the arms race
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chest — of your body
  8. can — a tin
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. press — to push
  11. can — to be able to
  12. race — a contest
  13. chest — a box
  14. key — the most important part
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chest — of your body
  19. key — for a lock
  20. can — a tin
  21. key — in music
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. race — humankind

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