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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. shower — to wash
  5. swing — music
  6. race — a contest
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. clip — a video
  9. pound — a weight
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. shower — rain
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. snap — to click
  18. clip — for paper
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. clip — to cut
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. stand — to bear
  23. swing — to play on
  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