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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. hand — help
  5. race — the arms race
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. scale — size or range
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. race — humankind
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. hand — in cards
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. press — to push
  19. scale — in music
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. race — a contest
  22. press — newspapers
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. scale — for weighing

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