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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. race — the arms race
  3. cue — a signal
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fork — in a road
  7. kid — child
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. press — newspapers
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cue — a hint
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cue — for pool
  17. rule — a law
  18. press — to push
  19. ball — a great time
  20. race — a contest
  21. rule — government
  22. race — humankind
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rest — what's left

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