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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. staff — employees
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. race — the arms race
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. race — a contest
  14. mug — to rob
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tear — to rip
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. staff — employees
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. staff — a stick
  24. race — humankind

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