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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bark — to shout
  4. band — a ring
  5. cell — in biology
  6. race — humankind
  7. season — in sport
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. season — of the year
  11. race — the arms race
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. press — newspapers
  15. band — a music group
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cell — a phone
  19. press — a publisher
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. swing — to play on
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. press — to push
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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