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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. race — the arms race
  4. game — a match
  5. chest — of your body
  6. press — newspapers
  7. last — to go on
  8. race — humankind
  9. chest — a box
  10. race — a contest
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. last — finally
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mug — a face
  20. last — final
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chest — of your body
  23. press — to push
  24. game — a kind of play

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