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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: game · press · race · chair · calf · toast

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. press — to push
  6. race — humankind
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. race — a contest
  9. press — a publisher
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. game — a match
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chair — a leader
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. press — newspapers
  16. race — the arms race
  17. game — wild animals
  18. calf — a young animal

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