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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. lean — to rest against
  2. press — a publisher
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. key — the most important part
  5. race — the arms race
  6. lean — to bend
  7. race — a contest
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. key — for a lock
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. race — humankind
  13. season — of the year
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. press — to push
  16. shower — to wash
  17. season — in sport
  18. plane — a tool
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. key — in music
  22. lean — thin
  23. shower — rain
  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