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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.

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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: lean · rush · fine · face · drill · chair · bass · race

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. drill — the tool
  10. face — part of the head
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bass — low music
  20. fine — all right
  21. face — to confront
  22. chair — a leader
  23. race — humankind
  24. drill — army training

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