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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. race — a contest
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bass — the fish
  6. fine — all right
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bass — low music
  9. key — in music
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. staff — employees
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. race — humankind
  16. date — the fruit
  17. key — for a lock
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fork — in a road

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