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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: chair · racket · drill · ground · press · straw

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. press — to push
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. drill — the tool
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. drill — army training
  8. press — newspapers
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. ground — the earth
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. press — a publisher

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