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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. race — a contest
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. press — to push
  7. chest — of your body
  8. prune — to trim
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bore — to tire
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ball — a great time
  13. press — newspapers
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. foot — a measure
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bore — to drill
  20. ball — a dance
  21. file — a tool
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. chest — a box
  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