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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · perch · key · can · clip · pit · ball · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. clip — a video
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. clip — to cut
  6. race — a contest
  7. ball — a dance
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. perch — the fish
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pit — in a race
  13. key — the most important part
  14. ball — a great time
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pit — a hole
  19. can — a tin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. can — a tin
  23. clip — for paper
  24. key — in music

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