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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. object — an aim
  5. race — the arms race
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. last — finally
  10. prune — to trim
  11. object — a thing
  12. race — a contest
  13. last — final
  14. band — a ring
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. last — to go on
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. object — to protest
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. prune — to trim
  23. band — a music group
  24. press — a publisher

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