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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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 — a video
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rock — a stone
  7. season — in sport
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. clip — to cut
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. race — humankind
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. firm — steady
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. firm — a company
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. season — of the year
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. firm — decided
  22. rock — music
  23. race — the arms race
  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