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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pitch — completely
  13. race — the arms race
  14. press — to push
  15. degree — temperature
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bound — obliged
  19. race — humankind
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. degree — from a university
  22. press — newspapers
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. straw — dry grass

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