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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. race — humankind
  6. swing — music
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. swing — to play on
  11. key — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. race — the arms race
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bear — the animal
  18. scale — in music
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. race — a contest

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