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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. race — a contest
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pop — to visit
  5. race — humankind
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pop — soda
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. clip — to cut
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. press — to push
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. clip — a video
  21. bark — to shout
  22. pop — music
  23. race — the arms race
  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