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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: club · mate · wound · race · ruler · press · scale · wind

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. press — to push
  3. mate — a friend
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. press — a publisher
  8. race — humankind
  9. mate — to breed
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. scale — in music
  12. press — newspapers
  13. scale — size or range
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. club — a group
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wind — moving air
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mate — a partner
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  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