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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 120 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: ball · mark · pit · coach · press · trunk · chair · squash

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. press — a publisher
  3. chair — a leader
  4. squash — to crush
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mark — a grade
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pit — in a race
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pit — a hole
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. ball — a great time
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. ball — a dance
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mark — a trace

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