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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 116 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bass — the fish
  3. press — a publisher
  4. can — a tin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pit — a hole
  10. press — to push
  11. race — a contest
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bass — low music
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pit — in a race
  21. tear — from crying
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. race — humankind
  24. can — a tin

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