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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. root — of a word
  4. race — humankind
  5. press — newspapers
  6. race — a contest
  7. land — to come down
  8. race — the arms race
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. land — a country
  11. drill — the tool
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. drill — army training
  17. root — of a plant
  18. drill — a practice
  19. press — to push
  20. cue — a hint
  21. land — ground
  22. squash — the sport
  23. root — the cause
  24. press — a publisher

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