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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. kid — child
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. race — a contest
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. press — newspapers
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bass — the fish
  18. race — humankind
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. kid — to tease
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bass — low music
  24. cap — of ice

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