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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: spring · press · chair · race · toast · clip · spell · bay

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. spell — magic
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. clip — a video
  10. press — newspapers
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. toast — bread
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. chair — a leader
  16. spring — of water
  17. spell — letters
  18. spring — a coil
  19. clip — for paper
  20. spring — the season
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bay — a horse colour

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