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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. key — for a lock
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. race — humankind
  6. charge — electricity
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. squash — to crush
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. key — in music
  21. race — a contest
  22. key — the most important part
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. race — the arms race

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