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

Word bank: coach · race · cap · pit · drill · wave

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. 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. cap — a hat
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cap — a lid
  5. drill — the tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. drill — a practice
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pit — a hole
  14. drill — army training
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. 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