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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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 — a trainer
  2. rest — a break
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. race — the arms race
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rest — what's left
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. content — the amount
  10. race — a contest
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rest — what's left
  14. field — a subject
  15. chip — for betting
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. field — farmland
  20. race — humankind
  21. content — happy
  22. field — for sport
  23. lie — to recline
  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