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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. race — a contest
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. race — humankind
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. press — a publisher
  9. spring — the season
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. content — happy
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. spring — a coil
  14. content — the amount
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. deal — to handle
  17. press — to push
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. spring — of water
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pound — a weight
  23. race — the arms race
  24. press — newspapers

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