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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 120 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. band — a music group
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. snap — to click
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. season — in sport
  10. race — a contest
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. race — humankind
  15. mine — for digging
  16. season — of the year
  17. band — a ring
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. ruler — a monarch

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