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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: race · press · cabinet · drill · board · coach · club · squash

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. drill — a practice
  4. club — a group
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. press — to push
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. press — newspapers
  10. drill — army training
  11. club — for dancing
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. race — humankind
  14. squash — the sport
  15. board — a committee
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. club — for golf
  18. press — a publisher
  19. squash — to crush
  20. race — a contest
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. drill — the tool
  23. race — the arms race
  24. coach — a trainer

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