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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: race · row · pound · bank · press · season · rule · fine

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. race — humankind
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. fine — all right
  4. rule — a law
  5. season — of the year
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rule — government
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. press — newspapers
  11. row — a line
  12. bank — for money
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pound — a weight
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. press — to push
  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