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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. press — a publisher
  3. track — a song
  4. race — humankind
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. track — to keep track
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. press — to push
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. season — in sport
  12. club — a group
  13. spell — magic
  14. club — for golf
  15. track — a path
  16. pound — a weight
  17. spell — letters
  18. press — newspapers
  19. season — of the year
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. race — a contest
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. race — the arms race

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