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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bank — for money
  5. pop — music
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. file — a document
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bank — for money
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. file — a line of people
  17. race — a contest
  18. file — a tool
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bat — the animal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. race — humankind

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