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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: fork · date · face · season · row · press · coach · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. race — humankind
  4. face — part of the head
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. face — to confront
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fork — in a road
  12. face — to point toward
  13. season — of the year
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. season — in sport
  16. press — to push
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. date — the fruit
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. race — the arms race

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