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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: coach · stock · race · mate · tear · squash

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. race — the arms race
  5. tear — from crying
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. race — a contest
  8. mate — a friend
  9. stock — goods
  10. squash — to crush
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. race — humankind
  16. mate — to breed
  17. squash — the sport
  18. stock — shares

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