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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: bat · can · ball · staff · press · fine · chair · race

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. staff — employees
  5. race — a contest
  6. chair — a leader
  7. race — the arms race
  8. can — a tin
  9. press — to push
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. ball — a great time
  13. staff — employees
  14. press — newspapers
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bat — the animal
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. press — a publisher
  23. fine — high quality
  24. race — humankind

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