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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. ground — a position
  3. race — humankind
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. squash — to crush
  9. track — to keep track
  10. race — the arms race
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. press — a publisher
  13. ground — crushed
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. track — a song
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. press — newspapers
  22. track — a path
  23. press — to push
  24. race — a contest

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