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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. craft — boats
  4. scale — in music
  5. present — there
  6. press — a publisher
  7. present — the time now
  8. lean — to bend
  9. swing — music
  10. press — to push
  11. swing — to play on
  12. present — a gift
  13. scale — size or range
  14. stand — to bear
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. swing — in golf
  18. press — newspapers
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. race — humankind
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. stand — on your feet

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