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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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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: bowl · race · coach · swing · wax · pit · straw · key

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. swing — to play on
  9. race — the arms race
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. race — a contest
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pit — a hole
  20. swing — music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. pit — in a race
  24. swing — in golf

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