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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: kid · ground · coach · race · rock · mark · season · craft

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. race — humankind
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. kid — to tease
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. race — the arms race
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mark — a grade
  14. race — a contest
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. mark — a trace
  19. season — of the year
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kid — child
  23. season — in sport
  24. rock — to move gently

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