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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stand — to bear
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. race — a contest
  10. spring — the season
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bass — the fish
  14. spring — of water
  15. ground — a position
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. chip — for betting
  22. race — humankind
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. chip — to eat

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