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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. press — a publisher
  3. snap — to click
  4. cap — a hat
  5. race — humankind
  6. suit — in cards
  7. race — a contest
  8. land — ground
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. press — to push
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. suit — to fit
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. land — to come down
  19. press — newspapers
  20. land — a country
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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