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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 120 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: straw · pass · race · rest · kick · press · ground · mark

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mark — a trace
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. press — newspapers
  6. ground — the earth
  7. race — a contest
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ground — a position
  11. rest — a break
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. kick — in football
  16. race — the arms race
  17. press — to push
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — humankind
  23. ground — crushed
  24. kick — a thrill

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