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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. press — newspapers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. squash — the sport
  12. press — to push
  13. squash — to crush
  14. clip — for paper
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rush — hurry
  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