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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: stick · chest · press · race · coach · staff

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. race — a contest
  3. staff — employees
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. press — to push
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. race — humankind
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. press — a publisher
  11. race — the arms race
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. chest — of your body
  14. staff — a stick
  15. chest — of your body
  16. staff — employees
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chest — a box

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