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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. race — the arms race
  6. key — in music
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — a contest
  9. kid — child
  10. staff — employees
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. key — for a lock
  14. can — a tin
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. press — newspapers
  18. staff — a stick
  19. key — the most important part
  20. can — to be able to
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pound — a weight
  23. staff — employees
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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