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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. press — a publisher
  3. drill — the tool
  4. press — to push
  5. drill — army training
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pass — a permit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. race — humankind
  18. mate — a partner
  19. drill — a practice
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rock — music
  23. race — a contest
  24. row — a line

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