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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. snap — to click
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rest — a break
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. race — a contest
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. race — humankind
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. press — newspapers

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