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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 120 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. key — in music
  3. tube — a container
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. tube — the underground
  9. key — for a lock
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. hand — help
  12. key — the most important part
  13. press — a publisher
  14. scale — in music
  15. fork — in a road
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. race — a contest
  18. chair — a leader
  19. race — the arms race
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. scale — size or range

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