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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. pit — in a race
  8. chest — of your body
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. chest — a box
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rock — music
  14. mate — a partner
  15. race — a contest
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rest — a break
  19. mate — to breed
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pit — a hole
  24. clip — to cut

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