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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. content — the amount
  3. saw — the tool
  4. race — humankind
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cue — a signal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. content — happy
  12. press — to push
  13. race — the arms race
  14. drill — a practice
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. drill — the tool
  21. press — newspapers
  22. clip — for paper
  23. dip — to sink
  24. drill — army training

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