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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. branch — a division
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. key — the most important part
  7. race — a contest
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. key — in music
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rash — a series
  13. hand — in cards
  14. key — for a lock
  15. board — a committee
  16. race — the arms race
  17. hand — help
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rash — hasty
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. board — to get on
  23. branch — of a tree
  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