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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. chest — a box
  3. press — a publisher
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. race — the arms race
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. clip — for paper
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. face — to point toward
  16. clip — a video
  17. press — newspapers
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pass — a permit
  21. clip — to cut
  22. face — to confront
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tube — a container

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