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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. press — to push
  9. race — the arms race
  10. swing — in golf
  11. kick — in football
  12. race — a contest
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. tube — a container
  18. stock — goods
  19. swing — to play on
  20. race — humankind
  21. pitch — completely
  22. swing — music
  23. stock — shares
  24. press — newspapers

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