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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. race — the arms race
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. race — a contest
  11. last — to go on
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. race — humankind
  18. last — final
  19. mate — a partner
  20. last — finally
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. sharp — with an edge

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