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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wound — an injury
  4. race — humankind
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. press — to push
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. charge — electricity
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — a price
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. file — a tool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wake — a trail
  18. race — a contest
  19. press — a publisher
  20. file — a document
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bowl — a dish

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