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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 · rash · game · press · present · sharp · spring · hide

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. race — humankind
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rash — hasty
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. race — the arms race
  9. press — a publisher
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. present — there
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. spring — of water
  15. sharp — clever
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rash — a series
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. game — a match
  22. present — the time now
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. race — a contest

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