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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 116 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mug — a cup
  4. press — newspapers
  5. pit — in a race
  6. march — music
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pit — a hole
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. race — humankind
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. press — to push
  22. march — the month
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. march — the month

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