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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. club — for golf
  4. fine — all right
  5. race — humankind
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. club — a group
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. press — a publisher
  12. fine — high quality
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. race — a contest
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lie — to recline
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bound — certain
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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