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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. can — a tin
  3. march — the month
  4. race — humankind
  5. press — to push
  6. march — the month
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bore — to tire
  9. rule — government
  10. stock — goods
  11. march — music
  12. bore — to drill
  13. land — a country
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. can — a tin
  17. press — a publisher
  18. land — ground
  19. stock — shares
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. land — to come down

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