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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. game — wild animals
  3. press — a publisher
  4. game — a match
  5. suit — in cards
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. suit — clothes
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. race — a contest
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. press — to push
  13. suit — to fit
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mine — for digging
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. race — humankind
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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