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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cold — an illness
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cold — not warm
  9. capital — a city
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. race — a contest
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. swing — music
  16. pass — a permit
  17. race — humankind
  18. press — to push
  19. plane — a tool
  20. track — a song
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. swing — in golf
  23. track — a path
  24. race — the arms race

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