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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  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. race — the arms race
  2. spell — letters
  3. press — a publisher
  4. spell — a short time
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lean — to bend
  10. spell — magic
  11. press — to push
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rest — a break
  14. band — a ring
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. press — newspapers
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. race — a contest
  19. band — a music group
  20. plane — a tool
  21. lean — thin
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. plane — in geometry
  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