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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. race — a contest
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. press — newspapers
  6. kid — child
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. press — a publisher
  11. chair — a leader
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. kid — to tease
  14. race — humankind
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. kick — in football
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. press — to push
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. race — the arms race

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