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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mug — a cup
  4. race — humankind
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rock — a stone
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rock — music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. press — a publisher
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. press — newspapers
  15. net — for catching
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mug — a face
  18. kid — child
  19. press — to push
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. net — after costs

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