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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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. rest — what's left
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mug — a cup
  6. face — part of the head
  7. race — humankind
  8. object — a thing
  9. rest — a break
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. face — to confront
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rest — what's left
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. ball — a dance
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. object — to protest
  20. mug — a face
  21. ball — a great time
  22. mug — to rob
  23. object — an aim
  24. face — to point toward

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