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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. press — a publisher
  3. last — final
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. last — finally
  8. spell — a short time
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. press — newspapers
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mine — for digging
  14. craft — boats
  15. spell — letters
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. last — to go on
  18. craft — a skill
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. press — to push
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. race — humankind
  24. mine — belonging to me

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