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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: mate · coach · bear · race · racket · fall

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mate — to breed
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fall — the season
  7. race — humankind
  8. bear — the animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mate — a partner
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bear — the animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses

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