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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: chair · bowl · pit · lie · pop · press · race · plane

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pop — music
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. race — a contest
  12. pit — a hole
  13. press — newspapers
  14. plane — a tool
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. press — to push
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. press — a publisher
  23. lie — to recline
  24. plane — in geometry

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