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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 120 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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. lie — to recline
  2. ball — a great time
  3. press — to push
  4. ball — a dance
  5. race — the arms race
  6. field — for sport
  7. staff — employees
  8. press — newspapers
  9. rash — a series
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rash — hasty
  12. press — a publisher
  13. field — a subject
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fall — the season
  18. field — farmland
  19. race — a contest
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. staff — employees
  23. race — humankind
  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