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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. snap — to click
  5. saw — the tool
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wind — moving air
  12. race — humankind
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. race — a contest
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. scale — size or range
  17. saw — the tool
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rush — hurry
  20. race — the arms race
  21. scale — in music
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  24. wind — moving air

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