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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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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: race · press · bear · bound · charge · cue · nail · sharp

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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 — the arms race
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cue — a hint
  5. race — humankind
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. sharp — clever
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bound — tied together
  17. press — newspapers
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. charge — in control
  20. bear — the animal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cue — for pool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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