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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 124 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. last — to go on
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. court — of a king
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. press — a publisher
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cell — in biology
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cell — a phone
  19. court — for sport
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. press — to push
  24. court — of law

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