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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. race — a contest
  3. march — the month
  4. present — the time now
  5. march — the month
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chip — to eat
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — there
  10. game — a match
  11. march — music
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. race — humankind
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. race — the arms race
  22. chip — for betting
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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