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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 124 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. present — there
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. last — final
  7. press — a publisher
  8. race — a contest
  9. last — finally
  10. bank — of a river
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. present — a gift
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. last — to go on
  18. press — to push
  19. bass — the fish
  20. press — newspapers
  21. present — the time now
  22. bass — low music
  23. race — the arms race
  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