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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bound — certain
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cell — a phone
  5. wind — moving air
  6. can — a tin
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cell — in biology
  13. foot — a measure
  14. can — to be able to
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rash — a series
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rash — hasty
  24. foot — part of the body

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