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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — a contest
  4. rush — hurry
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. capital — money
  8. press — to push
  9. race — the arms race
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. capital — a city
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. ball — a dance
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pitch — completely
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. ball — a great time
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. press — a publisher

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