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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lean — to bend
  7. press — to push
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. current — of water
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. current — happening now
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. clip — a video
  17. race — the arms race
  18. lean — thin
  19. press — newspapers
  20. current — electric
  21. race — humankind
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. race — a contest
  24. plane — a tool

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