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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 116 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bound — obliged
  5. spring — of water
  6. bound — tied together
  7. race — humankind
  8. capital — money
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bound — certain
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. press — to push
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. race — a contest
  18. lie — to recline
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. press — newspapers
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. capital — a city
  23. spring — a coil
  24. race — the arms race

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