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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. lean — thin
  4. race — the arms race
  5. root — the cause
  6. press — a publisher
  7. race — a contest
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. content — happy
  10. lean — to bend
  11. root — of a plant
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. press — newspapers
  18. root — of a word
  19. content — the amount
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. press — to push
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bowl — to roll

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