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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. firm — a company
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. press — newspapers
  6. cap — of ice
  7. press — a publisher
  8. race — a contest
  9. march — music
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. press — to push
  12. firm — decided
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. march — the month
  15. firm — steady
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rash — hasty
  20. race — the arms race
  21. cap — a hat
  22. march — the month
  23. rock — a stone
  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