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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. race — humankind
  3. season — of the year
  4. fork — in a road
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. root — of a word
  7. shower — to wash
  8. race — the arms race
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. race — a contest
  11. season — in sport
  12. press — a publisher
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rash — hasty
  15. press — to push
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. root — of a plant
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. root — the cause
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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