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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. clip — to cut
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. clip — a video
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. suit — clothes
  12. clip — for paper
  13. chip — to eat
  14. suit — to fit
  15. field — for sport
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. field — a subject
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — farmland
  20. race — the arms race
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. chip — for betting
  23. suit — in cards
  24. race — humankind

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