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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. clip — for paper
  3. press — newspapers
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bass — low music
  6. race — the arms race
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. clip — a video
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bass — the fish
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rash — a series
  18. ball — a dance
  19. press — to push
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rash — hasty
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chair — a leader
  24. race — humankind

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