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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. race — a contest
  8. mate — to breed
  9. race — humankind
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mate — a friend
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mate — a partner
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. race — the arms race
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — for tennis

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