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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: coach · present · press · cell · pound · net · toast · race

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cell — a phone
  3. race — the arms race
  4. present — the time now
  5. race — a contest
  6. net — for catching
  7. press — newspapers
  8. present — there
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. net — in sport
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cell — in biology
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. toast — bread
  18. press — a publisher
  19. present — a gift
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. race — humankind
  22. net — after costs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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