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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. foot — a measure
  3. press — a publisher
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wound — an injury
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. press — to push
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. race — humankind
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cell — a phone
  22. race — a contest
  23. press — newspapers
  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