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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 116 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. present — a gift
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. race — humankind
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. press — to push
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. present — the time now
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lie — to recline
  19. press — newspapers
  20. field — a subject
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. present — there
  24. race — a contest

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