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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: press · race · pit · content · stand · mug · cabinet · wave

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. race — a contest
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mug — a face
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. content — the amount
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. press — to push
  15. race — humankind
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. stand — to bear
  18. mug — a cup
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pit — a hole

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