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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: chair · press · cabinet · trunk · race · dip · coach · cell

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. 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. dip — to sink
  2. press — newspapers
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. race — humankind
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. cell — in biology
  15. chair — a leader
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. press — to push
  23. cell — a phone
  24. 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