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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. race — a contest
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. swing — to play on
  5. season — in sport
  6. lie — to recline
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rush — hurry
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. charge — in control
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. calf — of the leg
  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