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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bore — to tire
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. race — a contest
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. land — to come down
  8. press — to push
  9. rush — hurry
  10. fine — all right
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. land — a country
  14. season — in sport
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. press — newspapers
  17. fine — high quality
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bore — to drill
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. land — ground
  24. race — humankind

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