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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. race — the arms race
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. can — a tin
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. race — a contest
  7. face — to confront
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. press — to push
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. can — a tin
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. race — humankind
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bat — the animal
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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