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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. race — the arms race
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. clip — for paper
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. object — a thing
  8. staff — a stick
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. clip — a video
  11. press — a publisher
  12. race — a contest
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. clip — to cut
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. object — an aim
  19. press — to push
  20. race — humankind
  21. press — newspapers
  22. staff — employees
  23. object — to protest
  24. calf — a young animal

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