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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: date · press · race · lie · club · staff · fall · coach

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. club — for golf
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. race — the arms race
  7. date — the fruit
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. press — to push
  11. lie — to recline
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. press — a publisher
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. staff — a stick
  17. race — humankind
  18. fall — to drop
  19. press — newspapers
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. staff — employees
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. race — a contest
  24. lie — an untruth

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