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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. press — to push
  3. track — a song
  4. race — humankind
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. last — to go on
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. track — a path
  11. last — final
  12. press — newspapers
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. track — to keep track
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rush — hurry
  19. last — finally
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mouse — for a computer

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