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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: root · press · bat · race · foot · mine · stand · cap

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. press — to push
  9. stand — to bear
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. cap — of ice
  12. race — humankind
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. race — a contest
  15. mine — for digging
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bat — the animal
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. race — the arms race
  21. foot — a measure
  22. cap — a lid
  23. press — newspapers
  24. root — of a plant

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