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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. chest — of your body
  5. suit — clothes
  6. press — newspapers
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cell — in biology
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. chest — a box
  12. race — a contest
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. cell — a phone
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. press — to push
  17. toast — bread
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tube — the underground
  20. press — a publisher
  21. tube — a container
  22. saw — the tool
  23. suit — to fit
  24. cell — in a prison

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