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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. press — a publisher
  4. last — finally
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. race — a contest
  8. fine — all right
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. cap — a lid
  13. last — final
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — humankind
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. fine — high quality
  22. club — for golf
  23. last — to go on
  24. wake — a trail

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