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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: rest · press · race · wake · spell · mate · season · hide

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. race — the arms race
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. press — newspapers
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. rest — a break
  11. race — a contest
  12. season — of the year
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. spell — a short time
  15. season — in sport
  16. mate — a friend
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. press — to push
  20. race — humankind
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rest — what's left

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