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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. object — an aim
  7. fall — to drop
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. race — a contest
  11. object — a thing
  12. press — to push
  13. object — to protest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fall — the season
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. race — humankind
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mouse — the 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