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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. press — newspapers
  4. tube — a container
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. rock — music
  7. lie — to recline
  8. spring — the season
  9. degree — an amount
  10. press — to push
  11. race — a contest
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rock — a stone
  15. race — the arms race
  16. tube — the underground
  17. degree — temperature
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. spring — of water
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. spring — a coil
  24. press — a publisher

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