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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hand — help
  4. press — newspapers
  5. root — of a word
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bass — low music
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. race — a contest
  12. press — to push
  13. root — the cause
  14. bass — the fish
  15. lie — to recline
  16. press — a publisher
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. race — humankind
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bat — the animal
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lie — an untruth

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