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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: spell · cell · last · press · firm · race · pop · hide

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. press — a publisher
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. press — to push
  6. pop — music
  7. race — a contest
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — steady
  10. spell — letters
  11. cell — in biology
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. race — the arms race
  14. last — final
  15. pop — to visit
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pop — soda
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. cell — a phone
  21. press — newspapers
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. firm — a company
  24. cell — in a prison

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