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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. saw — the tool
  4. press — to push
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. race — a contest
  12. branch — a division
  13. race — the arms race
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mate — a partner
  18. land — a country
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. saw — the tool
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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