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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 120 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: cold · object · field · bore · chair · nail · bass · press

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cold — an illness
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. object — a thing
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cold — not warm
  10. chair — a leader
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. field — a subject
  13. press — newspapers
  14. object — an aim
  15. press — to push
  16. object — to protest
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bass — low music
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. chair — to sit on

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