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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: press · race · deal · stock · squash · hide · tube · pitch

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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 — humankind
  2. squash — to crush
  3. tube — the underground
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. race — the arms race
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. tube — a container
  10. stock — shares
  11. race — a contest
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. press — a publisher
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. press — to push
  16. deal — to handle
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. squash — the sport
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. stock — goods
  23. pitch — completely
  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