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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. race — the arms race
  3. spring — a coil
  4. march — music
  5. race — a contest
  6. spring — of water
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. cold — not warm
  13. race — humankind
  14. cold — an illness
  15. ball — a dance
  16. march — the month
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stand — to bear
  19. face — to confront
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. spring — the season
  22. march — the month
  23. press — a publisher
  24. ball — a great time

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