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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. race — humankind
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cell — a phone
  6. race — a contest
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. race — the arms race
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cell — in biology
  13. object — a thing
  14. scale — in music
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. row — a line
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. object — to protest
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. scale — size or range

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