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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. spring — the season
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mug — a cup
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bat — the animal
  11. kid — child
  12. mug — a face
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. race — humankind
  16. mug — to rob
  17. branch — a division
  18. kid — to tease
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. spring — of water
  21. press — a publisher
  22. race — the arms race
  23. press — to push
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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