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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. land — ground
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. land — a country
  10. race — humankind
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mark — a grade
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. land — to come down
  18. date — the fruit
  19. capital — money
  20. mark — a trace
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. snap — to click
  24. coach — a trainer

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