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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: trunk · drill · race · press · chair · fine

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. race — the arms race
  3. press — a publisher
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. drill — a practice
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fine — all right
  11. press — to push
  12. drill — the tool
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. race — a contest
  15. fine — high quality
  16. race — humankind
  17. press — newspapers
  18. chair — a leader

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