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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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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 · stick · nail · mug · kid · race · dip · mate

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. mug — a cup
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mug — a face
  5. press — a publisher
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mug — to rob
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mate — a partner
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. press — to push
  17. race — the arms race
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. race — a contest
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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