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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. object — an aim
  4. squash — the sport
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — a contest
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. object — to protest
  9. squash — to crush
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. race — humankind
  12. pit — a hole
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. staff — employees
  16. object — a thing
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. staff — a stick
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. staff — employees
  23. kick — in football
  24. squash — the vegetable

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