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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. swing — music
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. race — humankind
  5. lean — thin
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. press — to push
  9. present — the time now
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rush — hurry
  12. swing — to play on
  13. race — the arms race
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. present — there
  16. press — a publisher
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. race — a contest
  19. dip — to sink
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. present — a gift
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lean — to bend
  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