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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: press · mate · race · bowl · hand · bulb · key · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. race — humankind
  4. press — a publisher
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. key — for a lock
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. object — to protest
  11. race — a contest
  12. mate — to breed
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. press — to push
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. object — a thing
  20. press — newspapers
  21. key — in music
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. mate — a friend
  24. race — the arms race

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