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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rush — hurry
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fine — all right
  7. press — to push
  8. race — humankind
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. band — a music group
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. fine — high quality
  14. band — a ring
  15. net — in sport
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rest — what's left
  20. race — the arms race
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rest — a break
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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