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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: date · race · rush · ruler · dip · pound · press · toast

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. rush — hurry
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. toast — bread
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. press — to push
  13. race — humankind
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pound — a weight
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. date — the fruit

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