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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cell — a phone
  3. press — a publisher
  4. shower — rain
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. race — humankind
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. race — the arms race
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pass — a permit
  20. shower — to wash
  21. date — the fruit
  22. race — a contest
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pit — in a race

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