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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. shower — rain
  3. race — a contest
  4. last — finally
  5. content — the amount
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. press — to push
  11. race — humankind
  12. content — happy
  13. last — final
  14. row — a line
  15. race — the arms race
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. row — to paddle
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. shower — to wash
  22. press — a publisher
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. last — to go on

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