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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: field · chair · scale · bay · suit · race · snap · press

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. race — humankind
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. press — to push
  5. suit — to fit
  6. field — farmland
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. suit — clothes
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. race — a contest
  19. suit — in cards
  20. field — a subject
  21. press — a publisher
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. field — for sport

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