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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. march — music
  6. stock — goods
  7. mug — to rob
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. club — a group
  12. march — the month
  13. mug — a face
  14. stock — shares
  15. march — the month
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chest — of your body
  19. club — for dancing
  20. race — the arms race
  21. club — for golf
  22. race — humankind
  23. chest — a box
  24. mug — a cup

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