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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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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: swing · sharp · last · press · chair · land · race · snap

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. snap — to click
  4. last — final
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. race — the arms race
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. swing — in golf
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. press — to push
  11. swing — music
  12. press — a publisher
  13. last — to go on
  14. race — a contest
  15. last — finally
  16. race — humankind
  17. land — ground
  18. sharp — clever
  19. swing — to play on
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. chair — a leader
  24. sharp — exactly

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