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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. press — newspapers
  4. clip — a video
  5. race — humankind
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fine — all right
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pit — in a race
  12. race — a contest
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pit — a hole
  15. fine — high quality
  16. press — a publisher
  17. cell — in biology
  18. press — to push
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. clip — to cut
  24. cell — a phone

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