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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. press — newspapers
  3. race — the arms race
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. drill — the tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. race — humankind
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. drill — army training
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. race — a contest
  20. cold — an illness
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cold — not warm
  24. press — to push

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