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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: press · rash · race · chest · dip · kick · season · racket

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. chest — of your body
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. kick — in football
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. chest — a box
  11. season — of the year
  12. press — a publisher
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. press — to push
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. race — the arms race
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rash — hasty
  20. dip — to sink
  21. race — humankind
  22. chest — of your body
  23. season — in sport
  24. racket — a loud noise

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