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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 · sharp · mate · last · dip · cold · game · race

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mate — a friend
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. last — finally
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mate — to breed
  10. race — a contest
  11. last — final
  12. race — humankind
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. game — a match
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. game — wild animals
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mate — a partner
  20. cold — an illness
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cold — not warm
  23. dip — to sink
  24. last — to go on

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