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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cap — a lid
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. press — to push
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cap — a hat
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cap — of ice
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mark — a grade
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. race — humankind
  18. rock — a stone
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. mark — a trace
  21. press — newspapers
  22. race — a contest
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. race — the arms race

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