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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: club · roll · press · fine · race · land · lean · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. race — the arms race
  3. land — ground
  4. club — a group
  5. race — a contest
  6. roll — a cake
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. roll — a list
  10. club — for dancing
  11. press — newspapers
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. land — to come down
  14. press — a publisher
  15. land — a country
  16. row — a line
  17. lean — to bend
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. race — humankind
  21. club — for golf
  22. press — to push
  23. lean — thin
  24. row — to paddle

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