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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. press — to push
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. race — humankind
  8. track — a song
  9. press — a publisher
  10. drill — the tool
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. cold — an illness
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. track — to keep track
  18. lie — to recline
  19. drill — a practice
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cold — not warm
  22. track — a path
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rash — hasty

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