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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wake — a trail
  5. season — of the year
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cold — not warm
  9. race — a contest
  10. press — newspapers
  11. suit — to fit
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. hand — in cards
  19. press — a publisher
  20. vault — a safe
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. suit — clothes
  23. season — in sport
  24. press — to push

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