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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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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: press · bay · race · rush · sharp · rock · cold · firm

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cold — an illness
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. race — humankind
  5. firm — steady
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. press — to push
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. firm — decided
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cold — not warm
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. firm — a company
  23. press — a publisher
  24. race — a contest

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