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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mug — a face
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. race — humankind
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. chest — a box
  9. spring — of water
  10. chest — of your body
  11. press — a publisher
  12. spring — the season
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. press — newspapers
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. press — to push
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. stand — to bear

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