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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 116 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. bound — obliged
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. march — music
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fall — the season
  10. bound — certain
  11. file — a document
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. fall — to drop
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bound — tied together
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. press — a publisher
  24. fall — to drop

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