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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: tube · pitch · snap · coach · march · race · roll · foot

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. race — humankind
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pitch — completely
  7. march — music
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. roll — a list
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. march — the month
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. race — the arms race
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. race — a contest
  18. march — the month
  19. tube — a container
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. tube — the underground
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. roll — a cake

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