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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 · leaves · ruler · can · clip · rest · bat · race

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rest — what's left
  4. clip — a video
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. rest — a break
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. race — a contest
  12. press — to push
  13. clip — to cut
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bat — the animal
  16. can — a tin
  17. race — the arms race
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. race — humankind
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. can — a tin
  23. press — newspapers
  24. can — to be able to

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