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

Word bank: band · rush · scale · press · wake · race · pass · bat

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bat — the animal
  3. press — to push
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wake — a trail
  6. race — a contest
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. scale — size or range
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. scale — in music
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. band — a music group
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. race — humankind
  22. band — a ring
  23. race — the arms race
  24. press — a publisher

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