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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. press — newspapers
  3. mug — to rob
  4. race — humankind
  5. press — to push
  6. clip — to cut
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. net — after costs
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. clip — for paper
  14. press — a publisher
  15. net — for catching
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — a contest
  21. mug — a cup
  22. clip — a video
  23. net — in sport
  24. mug — a face

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