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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rash — a series
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bound — obliged
  15. press — a publisher
  16. rash — hasty
  17. press — to push
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bound — certain
  21. press — newspapers
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bound — tied together

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