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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. squash — to crush
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. squash — the sport
  7. present — the time now
  8. rash — a series
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. row — a line
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. spring — of water
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. press — a publisher
  17. present — there
  18. row — to paddle
  19. present — a gift
  20. race — humankind
  21. rash — hasty
  22. race — a contest
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. press — newspapers

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