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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. press — to push
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. drill — army training
  9. net — for catching
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. drill — the tool
  12. net — in sport
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. race — the arms race
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. race — a contest
  18. press — newspapers
  19. lie — to recline
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. net — after costs
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. degree — an amount

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