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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. land — a country
  3. bass — low music
  4. bulb — for light
  5. race — a contest
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. race — humankind
  9. current — of water
  10. cell — in biology
  11. land — ground
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. land — to come down
  14. current — happening now
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cell — a phone
  17. press — to push
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. press — a publisher
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. current — electric

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