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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. firm — a company
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. press — newspapers
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. race — a contest
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. firm — decided
  9. mate — a partner
  10. press — to push
  11. race — the arms race
  12. lean — to bend
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mate — a friend
  15. press — a publisher
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mate — to breed
  20. game — a match
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. game — wild animals
  23. firm — steady
  24. hide — to keep secret

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