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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. race — the arms race
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. wound — an injury
  8. spring — the season
  9. race — a contest
  10. press — newspapers
  11. race — humankind
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. land — ground
  15. track — a song
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — to come down
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. land — a country
  24. bowl — a football final

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