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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · fan · track · race · squash · mark · cold · band

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. track — a song
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. band — a ring
  10. track — a path
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mark — a trace
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. race — a contest
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mark — a grade
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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