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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. present — there
  4. race — a contest
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. march — the month
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. press — to push
  10. march — the month
  11. race — the arms race
  12. present — a gift
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. sharp — clever
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. race — humankind
  19. present — the time now
  20. march — music
  21. press — a publisher
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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